I'm Here Now
by Wings of Indigo
Summary: AU S3-Rose had lost him. But she still had something that kept her fighting. Their child- the daughter he didn't know of. After fourteen years in a parallel world, Rose finally made it home to exactly when she left. Two years later, Evy is half Time Lord, sixteen, and genius. But she was alone- until the day she stumbled upon a blue phone box and into a whole new world of trouble-
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone! This is my first full size fic, so please be kind. Later chapters will be from Evy's POV, but it seemed appropriate to start with the good-bye at Bad Wolf Bay. A few other chapters may be from other main characters' POV, but this will be mainly Evy, I think. **

_**Music ~ In the Arms of the Angel by Sarah McLachlan.**_

* * *

Rose stands on the beach, not sure what she's waiting for. And then he appears, see through, like the 'ghosts' that started this whole mess.

"Where are you?"

"Inside the Tardis. There's one tiny little gap in the universe left, just about to close. And it takes a lot of power to send this projection; I'm in orbit around a supernova. Burning up a sun just to say goodbye." She can tell he's struggling not to cry like she is; she can hear it in his voice. And she realizes that she can't tell him; she can't tell him about the miracle growing inside her at this very moment. It would break him- to know that not only is he losing her, he's losing his child as well.

"You look like a ghost." It's the only thing she can think to say; a minor detail compared to the huge things left unsaid, the things they should have told each other months and weeks ago. It doesn't matter how the projection looks. All that matters is that he's here, here to say goodbye.

"Hold on." The projection fiddles with the sonic, and the image fills in and becomes real-looking.

She steps closer to him, hoping but not daring to believe that it might be solid, might be real. She reaches out, cautiously.

"Can I-"

"I'm still just an image. No touch."

Rose knew that; knew that the hope of holding his hand one last time was a false one, even as she asked.

"Can't you come through properly?" She asks, desperately, and yet without hope. She knows he can't, they both know that. And it's not just for her she asks; if he could come through, he would be able to stay, and she could tell him about the child she's carrying, the miraculous, impossible child they made in the heat of the moment ,with the fear of losing each other and the desperate joy of reunion after impossible odds.

"The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse."

"So." She sighs, fighting her threatening tears. For a few moments, they both just gaze at each other, trying to savor these last moments. Then he breaks the silence.

"Where are we? Where did the breach come out?" Of course he would be curious.

"We're in Norway."

"Norway?" He surprised. He won't be, after she tells him the name of this beach. Darling Ulv Stranden. Bay Wolf Bay.

" Beach 'bout fifty miles out of Burgin." She takes a breath. "It's called Darling Ulv Stranden."  
"Dalek?" Of course he would hear that and nothing else.

"Darlig," she says stressing the pronunciation. "It's Norwegian for Bad. This translates to bad wolf bay." Irony of Ironies.

They both smile at that, remembering the name that followed them throughout all of their first year or so together.

"How long have you got?" It can't be long, it certainly can't be long enough for all the things they have left unsaid, things they should have been open with from the beginning.

"About two minutes." Heartbreakingly short. The universe is beyond unfair or heartless, giving them that short amount of time; it's mercilessly, pitilessly cruel.

"I hardly know what to say." Oh, she does know what to say, but she can't say it. And beside that one fact, there is hardly anything worth saying.

"You've still got Mister Mickey then," he says, glancing over at the three figures standing several yards away, next to an army van parked quite illegally on the beach.

"There's five of us now. Mum, Dad, Mickey- and the baby." Oh, God. She didn't mean to even give him that hint, but it has just slipped out and flown into the hopeless space between them.

"You're not-"She can hear the hope in his voice as he makes the connection; realizes the wonderful, heartbreaking, impossible truth. She rejoices in that hope even as she is forced to shatter it.

"No; it's mum. She's three months gone. More little Tylers on the way." She says this with a false, forced smile. Jackie is pregnant- she and Pete certainly didn't waste time- but it's hardly something she would normally mention at a time like this. Then again, they're never normal, and it's the best- and true- cover she has.

"What about you?" Does he realize her lie? She doesn't think so. Neither of them are thinking straight; lies he would normally spot in a heartbeat fly right over his head.

"Yeah, I'm back working in the shop." She knows it's a weak joke to make, but she makes it anyway. Anything to cover the pain she's feeling at this moment.

"Oh. Good. Good for you." Yes, her lie definitely slipped past him; he's already accepted it as truth and forgotten it for dealing with Jackie.

"Shut up. No, no I'm not. There's now a Torchwood on this planet, it's open for business." She gasps another breath. "Think I know a thing or two about aliens." Another weak jest, but this one has a real sentiment behind it. The baby's one of the many reasons she agreed to work at Torchwood- she can imagine how many creatures and people in the universe would do anything to get ahold of a half Time-Lord child, and Torchwood can help protect her child from that.

"Rose Tyler. Defender of the Earth." Pause. "You're dead. Officially, back home, So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're on the list of the dead. Here you are. Living a life, day after day. The one adventure I can never have." She wants to tell him so badly about his little girl, the girl she's decided to call Evelyna. He could have had that adventure he's imagining for her alone, could have had it if she'd told him when she first found out; told him instead of deciding to make it a surprise for both her mum and him.

"Am I ever gonna see you again?" Now she's really crying, and not just for herself. She knows she won't, that little Evelyna will never know her father, and her father will never know his daughter, if the universe has its way.

"What are you gonna do?" _Without me?_ She adds in her thoughts. _Without your daughter?_

"Ah, I've got a TARDIS. Same old life, last of the Time Lords."

His tone is lighter, but she knows how lonely he really is. God, she wants to tell him he's not the last, not anymore. He's not alone; he has a daughter now. But she can't. It would break him. She can see how much it's costing him to lose just her; Hell, it's costing her, like her heart is being ripped out and the air stolen from her lungs. And if it's costing him that much, how much would it cost him to lose both her _and_ a daughter?

"On your own?" _Without us?_ She cries out inside.

He nods.

And that simple gesture shreds the torn remnants of her heart even more.

"I-" she finds herself starting to tell him, but chokes it down, a small sob escaping her lips. She gathers herself, brushing windblown strands of her hair aside.

"I love you," she manages to choke out. That simple phrase, even for so long unsaid, if not unknown, is so insignificant compared to what she should be telling him. They should be celebrating ; not crying as the closing walls are tearing them apart, unable to even touch in these last few moments.

"Quite right too," God, she loves him – even now he's able to maintain part of his old arrogant jokes.

Now it's her turn to nod. He's right- she couldn't have chosen better. Evy, even unborn and growing as she is, couldn't have a better father. A man who saved the world with a Satsuma in his pajamas, who saves somebody's world every day. But she'll never know him.

Rose completely breaks down into sobs, gasping in between. But her Doctor's not finished.

"And I suppose this is my last chance to say it." He pauses.

Rose knows what he will say, but she manages to quiet herself a little, just to be able to hear him say it.

He meets her eyes, his own full of ancient sadness and the fresh agony that must be mirrored in her own.

"Rose Tyler-" And then, before he manages to speak another syllable, the image fades before her eyes, gone like it never was. For a minute she just stands there, internally reeling from this latest, cruelest blow. And then she crumples, disintegrating into sobs that she can't stop, can't control and doesn't want too.

He's gone. But even in the depths of her grief, the fierce love and protectiveness she has for her unborn Evy manages to hang on, to give her something to cling to as she sobs on the beach. And she makes a vow she will keep or die trying. For both herself and her daughter, she will find a way back to him.


	2. Waiting

**To all of those who reviewed, I thank you enormously. To those of you who read this and didn't- well, please do it next time. This chapter was supposed to be posted on Friday, in keeping with the schedule on my profile, but I'm posting it early in celebration of earning a nursing internship. I'm one of less than twenty-four others, so it's very exciting!**

**Evy's full first name is pronounced just like the name Evelyn (Eva-lin) except with an 'a' at the end (Eva-lina). Evelyn means 'light' in Irish Gaelic, and 'uncertain' in German. **

**As for Jenny; I hadn't planned on including her in this, or even thought about her at all. But that's a good idea. I wanted to give Evy a sibling eventually, but I think I showed how unlikely *cough*impossible*cough* that would be in the prologue. So Jenny's a good solution to that. Thanks for the idea! **

**To those who were curious after reading **_**Evy, Not Rose,**_** the Doctor **_**will**_** learn who Evy is. Just be patient; they're not going to meet each other in the first chapter! And Rose will rejoin the Doctor, but, again; not in the first chapter!**

_**Music ~ Still Haven't Found by U2**_

* * *

_Earth, 2008. London, England_

Evelyna Jacqueline Tyler stood on the roof of her home apartment building, enjoying the warm sunshine, rare this early in the spring. The breeze blew strands of her long black hair into her face, and she absent-mindedly brushed them away as she doodled in a notebook with one hand.

It was just after three, and her mum was still at work. School had gotten out about a half-hour ago, and Evy was supposed to have been working on her homework.

But she had been drawn outside by the bright sun, and after being teased with it for a six-hour school day, she was ready to escape walls for a while. So she had headed onto the roof, taking her backpack and homework with her, promising herself she'd just do it up here.

Of course, she hadn't even started it yet. The warmth of the sun had lulled her into a sort of trance, where the pressing need to do her homework didn't matter, but it was very hard not to think.

She felt moody and restless as she drew; her whole body ached to be doing _something_, but there was nothing to do. Besides her homework, of course.

A tiny snap broke her reverie. The pencil lead had broken, for the fourth time, and she was out of lead for it. Giving up, she glanced down at the page she'd been scribbling on. It was covered in dozens of sketches of police boxes; all different sizes.

Irritated at being reminded of what she was trying to avoid, she flipped the notebook closed and shoved it in the schoolbag beside her.

"He doesn't know about you," she told herself, angrily. "He doesn't know and he's not bloody likely to ever find out." She sighed, brushing another flyaway lock of hair out of her eyes, trying not to disintegrate into tears. It simply wasn't fair. It just wasn't.

Evy knew the story, or rather, stories; her mum had been the traveling companion of an alien called the Doctor, and after several years, more or less, they'd fallen in love. And then they'd been separated, forever, they thought, before her mum could tell him she was pregnant.

_But there was so much more to it than that_, she reminded herself, giving up hope of avoiding this train of thought for today. She never could avoid it for long, even if she wanted too.

Her mum had been a nineteen year-old shop girl with no A-Levels and no apparent special talents. She had run off with a local musician when she was young, and had returned home when he abandoned her. Eventually, she had taken a job at Henrick's, where she met the Doctor. She'd helped him out with saving the world, and accepted his invitation to travel. For a long time they'd traveled, and eventually Rose had been forced to take drastic measures to save the man she'd fallen in love with.

She'd never been completely clear on how she'd done it, Evy recalled, her hand sneaking up to find its way over her heart. And Mickey had been even less forthcoming.

But her mum had, and somehow, in order to save her life in turn, he'd sacrificed one of his own, changing into a totally different man before her mum's disbelieving and terrified eyes. And they'd traveled together again, finding their way through time and space together until they were even more deeply in love. But still, they had held back, afraid of what would happen if they came clean with each other. Finally, though, after a terrifying prophecy of Rose's death in battle, and a closer call then they'd ever had before, they'd given in.

Only, however, to be separated in the heart-wrenching and catastrophic events of what U.N.I.T and Torchwood personnel were still calling Doomsday. Her Mum had been trapped in a parallel universe with Evy's grandparents and Mickey, while the walls closed her Doctor off on the other side.

But that wasn't the end; Evy had been born about five or six months after the walls closed, and while Rose worked without aging to develop the Dimension Cannon, Evy grew up. When she was ten, the first active tests took place with Rose and Mickey, and by the time she was fourteen, the device had transported them permanently across the Void. But for some unfathomable reason, the Cannon had landed them in 2007, about a half a year after Doomsday.

And they'd carved out a life for themselves to lead while Rose searched; a life they'd lead for almost two years now. Evy was sixteen. Mickey was thirty-nine. Rose was thirty-five, technically.

And they were no closer to finding the Doctor than they had been when they'd arrived. There were incidents in UNIT files where he was listed as a suspected participant, but no hard evidence, no indication where he would be next.

Evy knew all this because, for her, the databases were ridiculously easy to hack- it wasn't even fun to slip past their firewalls anymore. Rose's faith was unflagging, but Evy had pretty much given up.

Except for a small, stubborn core of desperate hope, a hope that refused to ever die completely.

She shifted the hand resting on her heart to the opposite side. For a moment, the beat under her hand faded as her palm crossed her sternum. And then a new beat, a little fainter, but still strong, paced under her hand. One heart may have given up hope, but the other, even if it was smaller, refused to do so.

Dropping her hand, Evy pushed herself upright from her cross-legged position, standing to her full height.

Their apartment building was high enough that if she looked carefully, she could pick out the places from her mother's stories; the ones from Earth, anyway. It was a ritual she had; whenever she came up here, she'd pick those landmarks out at least once. All the places she knew of where her mum and dad had been together. It helped console her a bit when she felt horrible for being so different, horrible for not having a dad, or when she woke up in the middle of the night crying for the family she'd left behind.

But only a bit.

After she had worked through the list, Evy glanced up at the sky, staring into the serene blue as if looking for answers. She wasn't sure what questions she was asking; perhaps she was looking for the answers to the questions she didn't know how to ask.

However, as usual, the skies, despite their beauty, offered no help. Sighing again, Evy glanced back down at the street, and did a double take before scooping up her backpack with one arm and sprinting for the stairs.

Back down on the street, a shiny black car had just pulled up, dropping off a blond woman who could have easily still been in college, except for the formal not-quite-suit she wore and the I.D. slung around her neck. Evy's mother was home from work.


	3. Hurts

**Hi, everybody, sorry I'm late with this. My brother decided it was a great joke to hide my laptop right before he went camping. Anyway, DragonRose4 won my little contest; I was rooting for Hansen, because he looks like he galloped out of a storybook. (Sadly, he didn't win) So, DragonRose, e-mail me the description you want me to use for your cameo. **

**_Music ~ Afterglow by INXS_**

* * *

Evy raced down the three flights of stairs to their floor, not trusting the elevator to get her there before her mother. Her backpack bounced along as she flew down the stairs, and she shook it a little higher onto her right shoulder.

Reaching floor seventeen, she dashed through the heavy stairway door and out into the long corridor of apartments. She dodged several other people dressed in the same not-quite-suits her mother wore, as she ran for flat 456.

Reaching the door, Evy skidded to a halt and fumbled for the key to the locked door, trying to shove the piece of metal into the lock.

"Come on, work, dammit!" she swore under her breath.

Her neighbor, a twenty- something lieutenant who lived here with his wife, came over and took the key from her and inserting it and opening the door with no trouble.

"On the roof again, Evy?" he asked, smiling.

"Shut up. My mum's gonna be here soon." Evy said, but her tone was teasing. Lieutenant David Jacobson worked at UNIT like her mum, and was one of the team her mum headed- her second-in-command, in fact. Evy had gotten to know him after he'd been transferred here.

David had an unusual range of skills; that was the main reason for his transfer, that and the fact that he'd seen one too many things he shouldn't have.

He was uncannily good with mechanics, had training as a medic, and was very charismatic, even with extra-terrestrial peoples. But that wouldn't have gotten him on Rose's small team of twenty something people, including support. What _had_ was experience in active combat and ability to make up a believable cover story. It was unbelievably harder to explain the smaller incidents rather than the larger ones. People got curious when something affected only them; they felt comfortable enough on their home territory to ask questions. Larger incidents could be written off as terrorist attacks or freak weather systems.

"And your homework isn't done? How are you ever going to get into college?"

"The same way I hacked into Torchwood's data files for you last week."

Their banter was nothing new; David, despite his in-charge-listen-to-me commanding soldier demeanor in public, was really a very likable and funny person. He also had the mischievous streak of a teenage boy off-duty. He had taught her the basics of mechanics after he'd joined her mum's team, and was the reason Evy now could pick a lock in seven different ways and hotwire a car in a couple of minutes if she felt like it. (But she'd figured out how to pick pockets on her own.)

"Like you didn't enjoy it. I'll see you tomorrow, Evy." He smiled at her, then walked away to enter his own apartment.

"Thanks, David." Evy called after him as she pushed open the door and rushed inside. He'd insisted she call him that- he was like a protective older brother to her.

Shoving the door closed behind her, Evy dashed into her room, pulling out her calculus text and notebook as she flung herself onto the bed, trying to look like she'd been doing her work like she was supposed to.

And not a second too soon. Just as Evy put pencil to paper on the first of her homework problems, she heard the door open, and the familiar sounds of her mum coming home from work.

Leaving the text open on her bed- she still had to _do_ the problems, after all- Evy got up and walked down the short hallway into the kitchen.

She smiled and hugged her mum; deciding almost immediately not to burden Rose with her issues today. Rose looked tired- not the physical sort of tired that a good cuppa and a nap would help, the kind that meant she'd been out on an active case, but the mental, emotional sort of tired that meant she'd been thinking too much without doing anything.

"Hey, Mum. What was it today? Doomsday device, alien ambassadors, cure for cancer?" Evy keeps her tone light, knowing that her mum doesn't need any more burdens right now. It's been a hard day, from the look on Rose's face, and she's not about to make it harder.

"None. We had to help straighten out the last of the mess with the Royal Hope Hospital."

Oh. That explains why her Mum looks so drained. Her mum had explained that this latest big incident had all the signs of being connected to her Doctor- except, or perhaps especially, that she can't locate any definitive proof of his being there. And that, as close as he was, they still missed each other, only by a few hours.

It was hard on her mum to have been so close and not found him. But despite that, her mum still never ceased to amaze her.

Even in this universe, Rose worked with aliens. She was employed by UNIT as an active consultant, meaning she lead a small team of about twenty total that dealt with the small cases UNIT didn't have the time to deal with. UNIT paid her generously to do so, but even that wouldn't have let them live in this large a flat so close to downtown (and UNIT).

So UNIT helped. Since they technically owned the flat-technically they owned the whole building- they let Evy and Rose stay there, presumably protected from the people who would find a young and immature half Time Lady _very_ desirable. Usually, UNIT rented out flats here to military and scientific staff that had families, but Evy and Rose were allowed to stay for free. At least, money-wise.

Part of the agreement Rose had drafted up with UNIT on her return had included an 'exchange'- Evy would 'help out' with scientific research and would allow medical personnel to 'look her over'. Diplomatic code-speak for Evy fixing UNIT's scientific problems, submitting to their monthly exams, and being their living tissue sample.

Basically allowing the whole organization to use her like a living experiment, which they couldn't do with other aliens, unless dead. And most people don't treat their experiments like equals, with minds and feelings of their own. Small wonder Evy loathed her role.

But she had gritted her teeth and agreed, and continued to grit her teeth and allow them to do so, even though it felt like prostituting herself. She had two choices. Maintain the status quo, with UNIT's protection by jumping through their hoops, or loose that protection and face the very real –and likely- possibility of finding herself locked in a lab cell or splayed out on a dissecting table. Which wasn't a choice at all.

Right now, by playing test subject, Evy had the support of the powerful part of UNIT, which, fortunately, were willing to think of her, at least abstractly, as a person. She was under no illusions that all of UNIT was that way. UNIT may have been the 'good' organization here, but Evy knew there were people both inside the organization and out who would rather dissect her than 'work with' her.

So, back to protection. Evy knew she would be defenseless against any influential person, large, or even moderately sized group that tried to grab her without it- a couple of incidents in Pete's World had made sure of that- and she had better keep what she had, unless she fancied that lab cell. Which she most certainly did _not_. And that was the least of what could happen to her, simply because she carried the universe's most desirable and sought after genetic code, or simply because of who her parents were. Or rather, who her dad was.

And that brought her train of thought back to her mum, who was looking increasingly drawn. Unsure of what to say to the woman who was standing before her, Evy resorted to her undone homework.

"Mum? I'm gonna go do my homework in my room, 'kay?" She sounded awkward and unsure even to herself.

"Okay, Evy. I'll probably just go to bed after I finish my work."

"Alright. Call me if you need anything."

Rose sat down heavily at the kitchen island. "Sure. Go finish your homework." She rested her head in her hands, as if she had a headache, or was weeping.

Evy turned to go back to her room, but stopped and looked back at her mum, who was still resting her head in her hands.

"You sure you're alright, mum?

Rose waved Evy off with on hand, without looking up. "Sure, honey. 'm fine."

_No_, Evy thought, _you're not. But I can't help you be alright. Only your Doctor can do that, and I'm to like him to do anything but hurt you right now._


	4. Within

**Hello again, everybody, and welcome to my eternally late chapters. This time, instead of my brother hiding my computer, the Word program decided not to work. I got it to function reliably again, thankfully, so many thanks for your patience with my lateness.**

**For all who were wondering when Evy was going to stumble upon the TARDIS/Doctor and Martha, there are five more planned chapters until Evy finally joins the TARDIS passenger list. **

**_Music ~ Where We Belong by Lostprophets._ **

* * *

Evy walked into her room and shut the door behind her. With a deep sigh, she knelt next to the backpack shed hastily dumped on the floor, and extracted her Physics text and English homework. She put both on the desk before sitting cross-legged on the bed, pulling the Calc text and half-started homework she'd tossed there to her.

Evy's room was small- that was to be expected in a London flat- and crammed with a full size bed, desk with computer, dresser, and a bookcase that groaned under the assortment of heavy math, science, and history books intermingled with cheap fantasy novels and issues of _National Geographic _piled on it. A few shelves were up on the walls, holding small oddments of appropriated technology, both terrestrial and alien. Two windows let in light, giving her views of the street and Kensington Gardens.

A large blackboard hung beside her bed, within easy reach even if she was lying down. Right now, one half was covered with small sketches of circular designs and the other was filled with hastily covered calculations a college professor would be hard put to follow. The walls were painted a soft, warm shade of creamy brown, but most of them were covered with drawings, plans, and sketches. A couple of posters- A band poster and one from _Star Wars_- also hung on the wall. Directly across from her bed, over her desk and window, framed, hung her only picture of her mum and dad, together.

It was small, yes, but it was cozy. Evy loved her room- it was her haven from the world, a place where she could let all of herself out. Her human artistic talent could mingle with her alien intelligence and frightening aptitude for math and science, without reprehension. Even as she focused on her Calculus, whipping through the problems with incredible speed, she could feel herself relaxing.

Just as she finished the last problem, a small grey head poked through the crack in the door. The tomcat meowed, trying to get the girl's attention. Evy looked up, and smiled.

"Hey, Rax. Did you miss me?"

The cat walked completely into the room, meowing loudly as he demanded to be picked up. Evy closed her book and set it on the desk, next to the rest of her homework. She stood up and scooped up the cat, cuddling him as he began to purr.

Rax had been a Christmas gift from Mickey their first year here, and Evy had quickly named him Raxacoricofallapatorius after the planet in her mother's stories. The name had proved a mouthful even for the fourteen year old half-time lady, and they'd shortened it to Rax.

Evy continued to hold him for a few more minutes before gently disentangling herself and setting the cat down on the bed.

Rax looked disgruntled for a few moments, but quickly cuddled up to Evy after she settled on the bed, this time with her physics homework. The cat purred, rubbing his head against Evy's shoulder affectionately. Distracted, she reached back and rubbed the cat's head with one hand.

Her focus was going, if she couldn't concentrate on physics. Evy hated to see her mum like this- in so much pain, pain Evy couldn't help ease. It hurt _her_ to see Rose crying for her Doctor.

Evy could feel her concentration going as she thought about the Doctor, and her mum. She closed the physics textbook and set it on the floor- she could finish her homework in the morning. She laid back onto her mass of pillows, absentmindedly stroking the cat.

Evy loved her mum, she really did. And in an abstract sort of way, she supposed she had feelings for her father, though not _love_, exactly. But always, even when she was happiest, there was the wish that she wasn't different; that she had a complete family and a posse of friends; the wish that her dad wasn't an alien. The wish that she was normal, basically.

Evy mentally shook herself. She had friends, friends who had guessed more than anyone could dream, and stayed loyal despite that. She had a family; Mickey and her mum and the long-time members of her mum's team. And she had a future. All she had to do was get into a good school, graduate, and get a job with her mum. Easy enough.

But she wanted more- she wanted to meet him, to see all the amazing things her mother had seen.

And that was as near to impossible as _was_ possible.

Trying to relax, and stave off the feelings of depression and self-pity she could feel welling up, Evy rose and walked over to her desk, pulling out a thick black sketchbook, and artist's fine line pencil. Supplies in hand, she flopped back onto her bed, lying on her stomach, facing her blackboard.

Flipping through pages covered with elegant script and exactly rendered ink drawings of the same kind of circular symbols on the board, she came to a fresh page. Penciling in the date at the top of the page, she began to carefully copy the symbols from the blackboard onto the page.

The strange circular symbols appeared in her dreams each night, emblazoned in her mind's eye. Sometimes they preceded a dream about her dad, or men she thought might be previous incarnations of her dad, and the people who accompanied him. But usually, they simply appeared on their own.

Each morning, she'd roughly sketch the ones she had seen onto her blackboard, so not to forget them. Later in the day, like now, she would record them in her journal with pencil. When she had the time, she'd then go over them with ink.

She had first started seeing the characters she suspected were Gallifreyan when Mickey, Rose, and her had first arrived in this universe. Evy, as an artist, had been fascinated by the intricate patterns of curves, lines and circles, and had begun to draw what she saw. It was habit now, more than anything, something that helped her relax and calm down.

Finishing the last swirling curve of a particularly intricate design, Evy set aside her pencil and flipped to the beginning of the book. Portraits covered front and backs of the first ten or so pages, portraits of people she saw in her dreams. All of them were in pencil, the lines a little smudged, but the subjects were clear enough, clearly labeled with the names she knew them by.

Jack Harkness. Martha Jones. Sarah Jane Smith. The Doctor, in many different regenerations. Her Mum, of course. Mickey. And in between later entries of Gallifreyan were rough, quick sketches of monsters and planets, places and people she could see but not identify.

She saw the adventures of so many in her dreams, played before her eyes like scenes from a movie. But they were blurry and indistinct, with details and portions of the script missing.

Flipping pages without more than glancing at them, Evy came across a portrait of Tony. The pages stopped turning as she traced the line of the drawing with one careful fingertip. Tony. Oh, how she missed him. He'd said good-bye when they left, but he'd also begged her not to be lost in the past, to move on after he and the rest of her family were out of reach.

Slow, hot tears filled Evy's eyes as she remembered. Again, it wasn't fair. Rose was denied her Doctor; Evy was denied her father and family. She closed the book and set it on the floor, scrubbing her eyes to clear away her tears. There was no real use in mourning for what would never be again.

Instead, she picked up the physics book left on the floor, along with her iPod. Scrolling through the playlists, she selected one, and opened her text to where she'd left off reading.

She wasn't really tired, but her eyes gradually started to drift closed. She let them, feeling truly relaxed for the first time that day, soothed by descriptions of supernovas and soft rock songs.

She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but by the time her eyes closed completely, she had drifted off. She floated into a warm darkness unbothered by dreams; a place where the lingering sadness and the omnipresent heartbreak that haunted every day she lived couldn't follow.


	5. Without

**Alright! I finally got this finished! By the way, DragonRose4, would you mind sending your cameo description to me again?**

_**Music ~ Listen to Your Heart (Non-Techno Version) by DHT**_

* * *

When Evy awoke, she was disoriented for a moment. Her bedroom looked strange and unfamiliar; lit only by the light filtering in through the window from the street and the red glowing numbers of her digital alarm clock, it was a distinct contrast from the sunlit room she'd fallen asleep in.

Her Mum must have come in and turned out the light after finding her asleep. She sat up, and found a light blanket draped over her, proof that her mother had been in here while she slept.

No wonder her mum had checked; the clock's red digits read 12:25 AM. Evy rolled over under the throw blanket. She wanted to go back to sleep, knowing that she'd have to get up early to finish her English homework, but she couldn't.

And this time, her Time Lord genes weren't at fault. The melancholy she'd thought gone after her drawing had returned, and was gaining force inside her head. It was like an enormous storm brewing inside her mind; one that was just about to break.

With a sigh, Evy pushed off the blanket and rolled off her bed, onto her feet. Grabbing a pair of pj's out of the dresser and her robe out of the closet, she opened her door and walked a few feet down the hall into the bathroom, the one that was considered hers.

She flipped on the low light, and after dumping her pile of clothing on the counter, turned the shower on full blast, pushing the handle well to the left. While she waited for the water to heat up, Evy shed her clothing and pulled on her robe instead.

While her drawing was one way for her to relax and fight the depression that always lingered, water helped as well, especially if it was hot. Hot water helped soothe her; it always made her slightly drowsy and content. Even just being able to submerge herself in water, to feel something gently supporting her body effortlessly, was a great help.

Seeing the steam rising from the water, Evy took off her robe and hung it on one of the hooks on the wall. She stepped into the hot spray, hissing a little at the heat, but feeling her body start to lose tension almost immediately.

For five minutes, she just stood in the water; letting the heat seep into her body. Then she remebered what time it was, and grabbed her shampoo, washing her long hair methodically. That was one thing that sucked about long hair-you had to wash it every morning. Rinsing her hair and the soap from her body, she turned off the water and stepped onto the cold tile, wrapping herself in a towel.

Still wrapped in the towel, Evy wiped steam from the mirror as she gazed at her reflection in the glass. She supposed the girl who gazed back at her was pretty enough: pale skin, long, raven black hair, and eyes of an uncanny shade of blue. Her facial features were delicate, elven, almost, as her friend Max was wont to say.

Evy had inherited Rose's light build, which was slim and strong from two and a half years of running track for her high school. In fact, Evy could have been mistaken for a younger version of her mother, at first glance, except for her long black hair and blue eyes.

Those two features were the only ones Evy hadn't inherited from her mother. Rose was sure Evy's eyes came from her father, since they were carbon copies of those possessed by the incarnation of her father Rose had first met. Except, as Rose had said once, they were softer; deeper somehow, as if they searched you instead of piercing you.

As for Evy's long, slightly wild black hair, that was anybody's guess. No one on her mother's side had black hair, and Rose had suggested that the color might have come from an incarnation of the Doctor they hadn't ever met. The wildness, though, Rose had proudly stated that came from her Doctor.

Evy looked away, dismissing the image in the mirror. She began to towel dry her hair, hanging up the towel and pulling on her pajamas when she was done.

Then she flipped the light off completely, creeping back down the hall to her room. Rose had gone to bed long before; the door to the master bedroom was shut and no tell-tale light peeked out from under it.

Carefully, Evy crept across the definietly-not-clean floor, trying not trip on anything. After she made it to the bed, Evy pulled back the covers and got in. For a while, she just laid there, trying to fall asleep before the soothing effects of the hot water wore off.

But she couldn't. She would slip into a state just before true sleep, but was never quite able to attain that restful state. She tossed and turned, trying to find a position that would allow her to sleep.

Eventually the mental effect of the hot water wore off, even though her body stayed loose, warm, and relaxed. That drove her even farther away from sleep- the unleashing of all the feelings she'd so far managed to avoid.

Tears flooded down her cheeks as she heaved silent sobs, shaking with emotion. Whoever named heartache had the right of it.

She missed the family she left behind - the longing is so intense it's an actual, physical pain right above her brestbone. She wanted them back, like she had never wanted anything before or since.

Yes, she had her mother, and Mickey, and close friends, and the few people at UNIT who can look at her like a person. And she had Ross Jenkins. But that's not enough to fill the void.

Her family was _hers- _nothing could take it away from her, or so she thought. True, her father was gone; unreachable; and she'd mourned for him. But that was one absence among many people present.

And now they've gone into that void that was once only inhabited by her father. And all that's left is a gaping hole where they once were. Particularly where Tony had been.

_Oh, Tony-_

He really was her uncle, but the cover story given out by Pete, Jackie, and Rose - to keep her safe- was that he was her twin brother. And they'd certainly been close enough to be siblings.

His loss pained her so much more than any of the others, not that she hadn't loved them. But Tony had been special.

Now tangled in the bedsheets, covered in a slight sweat and tears, hair tangled into a right mess, Evy felt for the ring on her left hand.

It was a simple blue lab-created sapphire in a silver band, not remarkable, but it was as precious to Evy as her photo of the Doctor. Tony had given it to her as she left with her mother, giving in return for a promise.

_"Something to remember me by," Tony whispers to her. "Remember me, but don't look back. Promise."_

_"I promise."_

Oh, she's broken that promise a thousand times over. Probably more.

_I'm sorry, Tony. I tried._


	6. Burning

**Okay, everyone, I apologize for being late again. This isn't my best chapter, but I think it will do. I promise, things will get a lot more interesting after this. By the way, there are two Bad Wolf refernces hidden in this chapter. One is obvious, one is not. See if you can find them.**

**Gallifrey also makes an appearance here. Enjoy, and review!**

_**Music ~ Eyes Open by Taylor Swift **_

* * *

It's eight o'clock on a beautiful May morning, and as the London workforce arrives at their jobs, Evelyna Tyler is currently pedaling for all she's worth.

Evy woke up late, drained from her night of emoting and lack of rest. Not lack of sleep- she got plenty of that- but then, _rest_ and _sleep_ are two very different things. She had stuffed her homework into her bag, thrown on her uniform, stuffed her feet into her favorite worn-out Converse, and snatched breakfast before running out of the flat, tossing on her jacket and shrugging on her backpack.

Evy had then run to her bike, and dashed to school, using every shortcut she knew of in order to get there on time, even cutting through the nearby park.

Now, slightly out of breath, she approached her school building, straightening her slightly askew skirt as she did so. Dow Falbe High School was shiny-new, designed and built in the last five years. The building itself was two stories, with two additional wings, full of glass windows and courtyards were students could go during breaks.

Right now, about ten minutes before the bell rang, students were still arriving, and there was a heavy stream of traffic through the front doors. Evy joined the crowd after making sure her bike was locked up securely.

The front doors lead to a massive foyer, from which branched two main hallways and a staircase. Directly behind the staircase was an elevator and the covered walk to one of the wings, down the left hall way were the offices, and down the right hallway were the computer lab, cafeteria, gym, and library.

Students ranged in groups along the walls, chattering and comparing notes and homework as they waited for the bell to ring. Evy waved to several people she knew, but didn't stop as she headed for the stairs. As she climbed them, dodging other students heading down, the mural of the school's mascot seemed to stare her directly in the eye.

The stretch of wall directly above the stairs belonged solely and undisputedly to that mural, a giant painting of a wolf. A wolf with golden eyes that seemed to follow you, no matter where you went. It was a student myth that the wolf was the residing place of the spirit of a worker killed during the construction of the school, so most people avoided the spot. Evy, however, found nothing menacing about the wolf's gaze.

It was uncanny, sure, to have a painting watch you like a living thing, but Evy had never felt anything menacing about it. It felt welcoming, almost, the patient, measuring, and timeless gaze of the wolf. But still, there was something frightening about the painting.

Shuddering, Evy quickly hurried down the hallway to her locker on the second floor. Somewhere down the hallway, Evy could feel herself acquire a shadow.

"Max, quit stalking me. You're not succeeding and it's creeping me out."

A nutmeg blond with greyish eyes defined by a thick coat of black eyeliner and mascara fell into step beside Evy, catching up from her previous position behind the younger girl.

"Damn you and your ESP, Evy!" she laughed. "My stalking works on everyone else!"

Max, or Mackenzie Alice Carver, was Evy's best friend, a Sixth Year from Knightsbridge. Of all of her friends and acquaintances- besides Mickey- Max was the only person Evy had ever told about her heritage.

But not without good reason.

Max, despite the free-wheeling, emancipated lifestyle she led and her artistic, devil-may-care mindset, was surprisingly level-headed and perceptive. She was one of the rare people who had accepted the existence of aliens without hysterics, and the only person Evy knew of who had come to the conclusion that aliens were 'people' too - Not inherently evil or always good, but in-between- without prior personal experience.

She could also be trusted utterly. Given a secret and told to keep it, Evy would be surprised if torture could drag those secrets from behind Max's teeth.

That was why Evy had finally told her. Not that she'd ever tell her mother or Mickey that she'd told, unless she wanted her head bitten off. But sometimes she thought the only thing that kept her sane was Max's unwavering loyalty and support.

"Whatever, Max. If you want to practice your ninja skills, why don't you go find Julie and Alex?" Evy teased. "I'm sure they would be much more appreciative."

Max shrugged and smiled. "Sure."

Then she frowned as she took a closer look at Evy. "You okay? You seem a little off."

Evy hid her frown as she opened her locker and began withdrawing books. "Yeah. 'Course I am."

Max's frown deepened. "Are you sure? Did it happen again last -?"

Evy cut her off. "No. Don't talk about it here. Please." She seemed casual enough, but her friend could hear the pleading note in her voice. Max still looked concerned, but she didn't press.

"Oh. It's a UNIT day, isn't it?"

Evy nodded, and Max could tell she had said the right thing by providing an explanation for her friend. Evy's face was full of gratitude and relief.

"Yeah. And on my lovely Friday birthday, too." Evy pretended to be indignant.

Max rolls her eyes. "What is it this time? Lab rat, computer, or tissue sample? Because I had plans for your sweet sixteenth tonight and UNIT will be hearing from me if their oh-so-important _research_ interferes." She adopted a snobbish tone of voice while she proclaimed this, and was rewarded for her dramatics with a snort of laughter.

"No, it won't take long. It's just- they just want to do some blood work. More playing pincushion for Evy."

Now it was Max's turn to snort. "Good. Because I have plans for tonight, as I said. After all, you may be _special_, but your sixteenth only comes once a lifetime."

Evy shut her locker, interest piqued. "Really? What are we doing?"

Just then, the bell rings, signaling the official start of the school day. Max smiles mischeviously.

"You're going to have to wait to find out. But trust me." And then Max, disappears back into the swirling crowd, backpack swinging from one shoulder.

Evy smiles, mood much lightened, as she heads to class. Max may have been trouble, but she was also her link to normalcy. And for that, Evy was grateful.

#

"…The position of a point particle is defined with respect to an arbitrary fixed reference point, O, in space. Usually the position is accompanied by a coordinate system, with the reference point located at the origin of the coordinate system. It is defined as the vector r from O to the particle. In general, the point particle need not be stationary relative to O, so r is a function of t, the time elapsed since an arbitrary initial time. In pre-Einstein relativity . . ."

It's the second to last period of the day, and Evy was getting tired. All she wanted to do is go home and sleep. The teacher was droning on and on, and she wished he would stop. It was soothing her a little to much, and she could feel herself starting to drift…

Evy managed to save herself from falling face-forward onto her desk. Mr. Haft's voice continued to drone on in the stuffy, confined space of the classroom, as it had for the past hour. It's not even interesting, this chapter in Physics. Without even doing the practice problems he's demonstrating, she can figure their answers.

Oh, this is bloody brilliant. So irritating! She wanted to be gone, to run away, and never be bothered again. These monsters keep showing up, and when all she wanted to do is have fun and try to hide from her past. . .

Wait a minute. Since when did she want to hide? And since when did monsters make a daily appearance in her life?

As if by magic, the cloud of irritation, depression, and despair lifted from Evy's consciousness, settling like a brooding storm in a close corner of her mind. In its wake, it left a growing sense of panic.

Evy knew these feelings that weren't hers all too well. And what they heralded was not good. Abrubtly, she raises her hand, waving it in such a way that the Mr. Haft had no choice but to call on her.

"Yes, Miss Tyler?"

"May I go to the bathroom, sir?"

The teacher sighs in annoyance, and Evy fights down the rising panic. She _had _to escape this classroom soon.

"Please, sir, it's an emergency."

Mr. Haft took in Evy's pale face, which was steadily growing whiter, and hurried to dismiss her.

"Alright, Miss Tyler, you may go. Take your things with you, the period is almost over."

Evy gathered up her things hurriedly and fled the classroom, running for the supply closet by the girl's bathroom. The last thing she needed was for someone to witness the vision she could feel building in her head. At last, she reached the closet, and her fingers, wise to the simple lock, let her inside within a matter of seconds.

She collapsed into the welcome dark of the closet, shutting but not locking the door behind her. Falling onto her knees, Evy curled into a ball against the tiled wall, concealed at last, and waited for the horrific images she knew would come.

She didn't wait long. Behind her closed eyelids, she was struck with vivid images of a war she wished she had never been forced to see. Evy saw the destruction of whole worlds; planets and races and entire civilizations there for a minute and gone, horribly destroyed in a heartbeat. And with intimate detail, she witnessed the burning of an exquisite planet, a planet with fiery skies and silver trees.

She felt the horror and desperation of the people on it as they burned, and covered her mouth in an effort of muffled the screams she echoed.

And then, as if from a far distance, she heard Max's voice. The older girl entered the small closet and carefully shut the door behind her. Quickly, Max knelt down beside Evy and put her arms around her, holding her.

Evy felt Max's embrace, and felt the older girl rock her gently as they both waited for the horrific scenes to end. When she finally came to herself, Max was there, holding Evy's hands in her own.

"Are you alright?" Max asked, concern and deadly seriousness in her eyes.

Evy nodded, spitting out blood from her now-raw cheek into a nearby bucket.

"It was bad this time. How long?"

Max's eyes lose some of their worry, but the concern remains. "A couple of minutes. You won't be missed."

Evy nodded shakily and they both stood up. "Thanks, Max. You gonna get in trouble?"

Max shook her head and smiled a little, attempting to be reassuring. "No. I had a free period, and was studying when you ran by."

Evy nodded, and returned the smile, trying to regain calm. Max looked her friend in the eye.

"Don't worry, Evy. It will be alright. Now go back to class. I'll see you tonight, and this will all be just a bad memory."


	7. Bound

**Once again, I post late. However, this chapter has five full pages, so I think I can excuse myself my lateness. We're getting close to the meeting between the Doctor, Martha, and Evy- two more chapters. Also, the Ross I mentioned as having a close relationship with Evy- look up Ross Jenkins in the TARDIS Index File wiki and you'll find out who he is, if you don't remember from Season 4. **

**To explain, since I didn't put much in, Evy and Ross's relationship is sort of complicated- they really do like each other a lot, enough to almost be love, but they're both not sure what to do about it. Think of what they have as not first love, but a first serious relationship, the kind most people start having in college. They're both young, confused, and neither really wants to take the first step. **

**As always, read and review. **

_**Music ~ Come Away to the Water by Maroon 5 (feat. Rozzi Crane)**_

* * *

The school bell rang, signaling the end of the school day and the start of another weekend. Students in blue and grey uniforms poured out of the building, into the warm May sunshine, Evy Tyler among them.

Evy was unremarkable in the crowd of students, except for two things. One, she carried a black sketchpad under one arm. Two, she wore a mysterious and amused smile, as if enjoying a private joke. But other than that, she was one of many, a speck lost in a sea of blue and grey. At least to the shiny black car that waited on the other side of the street.

She glanced over at the car, and her smile widened. Evy slipped over to the bike rack and unchained it, slipping her backpack over the handlebars and her sketchpad into her backpack.

Evy glanced around, making sure one last time that she remained unnoticed, and began pedaling for the flat.

#

It didn't take long- the flat was barely a half-mile away. No surprise considering how many children of UNIT staff went to the same school as she did.

Once she was home, Evy replaced her bike in its proper place and slipped upstairs.

Evy had always made it a priority to be just slightly late to her meetings with UNIT- enough to cause inconvenience and annoyance, but not enough to actually get in trouble.

She also made a point of showing up in disheveled street clothes- her habitual canvas jacket, converse, t-shirt and jeans, hair escaping from an ineffectual braid. After all, what's the point in dressing nicely or being on time? The scientists and medical professionals she saw weren't interested in her appearance, or what she likes, what her life is like. All they wanted was what's inside of her; her blood, her organs, her tissue.

As Evy tugged on her jacket and bent down to check the lacings on her trainers, she spied the black car pulling up through her window- the one that faced the street. She sighed, standing up. Her ride into purgatory was here.

Grabbing her iPod and sketchbook- the things that made purgatory bearable- Evy went out to face the music.

#

Aside from a quick hello to the driver, who she knew– vaguely- Evy stayed plugged into her iPod the whole ride. She listened to Adele, mostly, and drew intently in her sketchbook, working on the preliminary sketches of her final self-guided project for Art.

After long deliberation, she had decided to make it a depiction of the planet she saw burning so very often. But not burning- and not dying, as she also so often saw it. This would be a picture of that planet the way it should have been.

Beautiful and unravaged by her people.

The work is enthralling, but in order to see what she wanted to depict, Evy had to listen to that faint inner voice- the one that sang not the one that whispered unintelligibly. It wasn't hard, exactly, but going that deep into herself- it was easy to lose touch with her position in the real world, if not the time.

Small wonder she jumped when the driver announces they've passed the first gate.

Evy put her sketchbook away, and resisted the urge to make a face at the sight of the Tower of London that greeted her. It's not much- what would you expect from a primarily underground facility?- but the familiar view repulsed her. She wondered idly, in the back of her mind, if this is how prisoners brought to the Tower in Medieval times felt.

Maybe it's the thought of what awaits her- the walls that feel like they are closing her in, like an animal in a trap, or the looks the scientists and doctors will give her- but she's never really liked UNIT's main base. Even before she experienced all that she hates about it, the base and its inhabitants put her off. The rooms were a little too claustrophobic, the people a little too cold.

But that wasn't to say she hated everybody here. Many of the guards and lower ranked soldiers know her by name, as she did them. They smile and greet her, wish her luck, and she does the same. They're the ones who know what is going on with her, personally, not just what scientific breakthrough the doctors have engineered from her blood or what piece of technology UNIT's scientists have made with her help.

The soldiers, she liked them particularly. At first, when she was fourteen, they were standoffish, but now that Evy had proven herself and her half-human status is an open secret, her father's true identity a widely believed rumor, they welcomed her into their ranks easily, especially the ones who had been here the longest.

Evy brightened suddenly, and waved at Jenna, who was on gate duty today. Her car drove through the tunnel, careful to stay slow in the dark environment.

Those older, more experienced persons treated her like a younger sibling- to be expected, since she was barely fourteen when she, Mickey and Rose arrived here, and made their bargain.

But, the newer privates- the ones recruited fresh from Sixth Year and first years of college- are also friendly, in a different sort of way. Evy was no stranger to their blunt flirtation and desire, and she played along to a degree. It was fun- neither party expected anything other than maybe a quick kiss between friends or and invite they wouldn't follow up on.

Except Ross. He was different – There was intensity between them that made Evy feel a just little shy or nervous, even when they played the exact same type of flirtatious games and casual kissing as with the others.

Odd. She really did like him, she supposed, but-

The car jerked to a stop. Before the driver could get out and open the door, a young private opened it for him.

"Hey, Evy, your stop. Time to go give those science geeks what for." Andrew Mattson greeted Evy with a cheeky and slightly flirtatious grin.

She chuckled and got out, giving him a quick hug. Andrew was one of the privates who flirted with her and she flirted with in return- but he wasn't interested in flirtation, not really; too serious about his military career.

"Sorry, Andy, not much opportunity for that this time. I'm a blood donor tonight."

"Oh. Who are you donating too?"

"The advancement of mankind, I suppose. Not much else that can take alien blood and use it effectively."

Evy stood for a minute, considering the scene of activity before her. Uniformed personnel were everywhere; moving with a sense of purpose. They were now underground, and even now she could feel the walls starting to press on her. Evy wasn't claustrophobic, but being buried, essentially, in a place she hated always gave her the feeling of being trapped without an escape route.

Evidently, her silence started to worry her friend.

"Evy?"

She looked up at him. "Yeah, we can go. I know the way- would the Med blokes mind terribly if I stopped to say hello to my mother before showing up?"

Andy smiled at her. "Of course they would. But you don't really care what they think, do you?"

"I don't lose sleep over it."

Andy smiled even more. "Alright, let's go."

#

Rose Tyler was in her office, attempting to read a report one of her team members had brought to her. Attempting, and failing. The report detailed some suspicious activity around a newly patented product that was supposed to reduce car emissions.

It was obvious to Rose, at least, that there were aliens involved. She had traveled with the Doctor- she knew the signs. But now, here, with a position at UNIT, she couldn't really do anything except report to those higher than her and hope they listened.

So unlike what she and the Doctor had done. Instead of running in and solving the problem, quickly, regardless of law or custom, now her actions were governed by laws and traditions ages old, that demanded things be done in one way and one way only.

It hurt. A lot. She had given up so much- and Evy had given up so much- to be here, where she could find him. But now that they were here, she couldn't find her Doctor anywhere.

Still, she kept trying. That was what kept her going, the need to keep trying. Well, that, and-

Evy, her daughter, burst in through the door, a young and amused looking private in tow.

Evelyna, her Evelyna. The other reason.

"Hey, Mum. How's work?"

Rose looked at her sixteen year old miracle. Evelyna Jacqueline Tyler, Daughter of the Doctor. God, she loved this girl, with her flyaway black hair and startling blue eyes.

"It's fine. A little tiring, but fine." Rose glanced at the clock. "Shouldn't you be in Medical right now?"

Evy rolled her eyes. "Sure, mum, I was headed there. I just wanted to say hi first."

Rose smiled at her daughter. "Yes, you've said hello. Now go to your meeting."

"Yes, mum." Evy comes around the desk to give Rose a quick hug, and then she was out the door and gone. And Rose was again left with the report and her memories.

#

The needle stung as it sliped beneath her skin. Evy bit her tongue to keep from voicing her opinion on this, and instead focused on the small vial that was slowly filling with blood.

Her blood. It's a strange color- still red, but a very dark red, like a wine-red. _Always an artist._ She thought to herself._ You're evaluating the color of your own blood._

Right now, she sat in a small room in UNIT's medical facilities. There was glass windows with shades by the door, and the room was furnished with a small- uncomfortable, she might add- couch, a computer, several cabinets full of medical equipment, and a counter with a sink. On the counter, there was a tray that contained several vials half-filled with her blood.

She's been here, in UNIT Medical, about a half-hour, but she had been here at UNIT proper much longer. Unbenownst to her, some of the scientists had put in a request to run an experiment- with her as a living test subject, of course- and, having it approved, she had spent several hours running the obstacle course used for training UNIT feild agents.

So she was sweaty, tired, a little light headed from blood loss- and she burned to make her escape. She shifted restlessly on the couch, trying to find a spot that wasn't cramped from overuse or numb from sitting on the hard cusion.

"Hold still!" The lab tech, a college-age pale brunette woman, ordered impatiently. Evy glared at her, and continued to shift herself into a more comfortable position. If they couldn't provide a more comfortable seat, then they could put up with her moving.

She finally found a spot that wasn't to numb already, and settled into it. The lab tech finished filling the vial- half-full, like the others- and disconnected the vial, setting it into the rack next to the others. When the vial was secure, the tech turned back and took out the needle.

Evy held back a sigh of relief. Once the lab tech was out the door, holding the tray of blood like it was a casket of precious jewels, Evy stood up and slipped her jacket back on.

Checking the hallway through the window, she made sure the coast was clear before she slipped out the door and down the hall.

Once clear of her room, she broke into a run and sprinted for the hangar bay, where there would be friendly young privates and alien tech aplenty.

Somehow, though, UNIT Medical could never get far enough away.


	8. Forgotten

**Well, this is an early chapter, and there's another early one on the way. So there will be no post this weekend. This is a filler, a bit of chapter that got too long and so branched off on its own. Have fun with it- I'm working into the cliff hangers here. Also, this has more explicit references to where Max and Evy live. If I get the details a little wrong, and make the distance between locations a little too improbable, well, I'm an American who's never been to Britain. Forgive me. **

_**Song ~ Somebody by Lemonade Mouth/Brigit Mendler* **_

* * *

Evy inclined her head a tiny bit, trying to see, for the umpteenth time, what Max was doing to her face and hair. However, she had barely moved a centimeter before Max gently but firmly tilted it back.

"No peeking, Evy. And hold still! How can I get you ready if you keep trying to peek?" Max's tone is admonishing, in a teasing way.

Evy felt a little uncomfortable- Max's mother had asked her daughter, emancipated as she was, to make an appearance at a party, with a 'suitable' guest, as Max was driving Evy to her flat, from UNIT, so they could celebrate Evy's official sixteenth birthday. Evy had unhesitatingly volunteered, prepared for something like the parties Pete and Jackie had held every so often in the other world. First Jackie had been a huge socialite, but Rose's Jackie hadn't quite gotten into it as much as her predecessor. Oh, she'd been a frequent and lavish hostess; make no mistake, but never on the same scale as first Jackie. Evy supposed raising a child on shoestrings would have curbed Jackie's natural enthusiasm a bit.

So she had been expecting something moderate- acquaintances, business partners, and friends over for dinner and cocktails. Not the big extravagance Max had told her it would be.

"Max? Are you sure all of this is necessary?" Evy gestured with a free hand, indicating her outfit and the hairstyle and makeup she had yet to see.

Max took a hairpin out of her mouth, pinning up on of Evy's new curls, before replying.

"Oh, yeah. Trust me, it's necessary. I grew up attending these things. They're huge, and formal to a tee. Trust me. You will not look overdressed."

"I'm not so sure about that." Evy was dressed in a silky many-shaded blue and teal one shoulder dress she was certain was designer, with three inch silver and rhinestone heels she was equally certain she would never be able to walk in without breaking something. So she had reason to feel overdressed.

"You ever been to a Knightsbridge party?" Max continued to pin little strands of Evy's curled hair into place.

"No."

"Trust me, everyone will be wearing something designer. So don't be nervous. I would know. I grew up there, remember?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"The attendance will be huge- no one will notice us other than to say hello and compliment my parents on their hosting. We'll be gone by eight, and then we can really celebrate your birthday."

Max finished pinning the last strand of Evy's hair into place.

"There. Now you can look."

Evy glanced in the mirror to her right, and barely recognized herself. Her long black hair was caught in a careless looking arrangement of soft curls, and her eyes, thanks to Max's mascara and hint of blue shadow, appeared twice their normal size, large and lustrous. The flowing dress skimmed her slim figure, making her seem ethereal and unearthly.

"Oh. I- I look-"

"You look beautiful, that's what you look like," Max said, emerging from the large closet wearing her own dress, a silky knee length halter made of green satin and beaded on the hem and waist. Carefully, the nutmeg blond examined her own make up in the mirror.

"_I_ look beautiful? What about you? You're gorgeous!"

Max's own hair was pinned up in a messy but elegant twist, and her usual eyeliner was notably absent. Instead, her eyelids were covered in a light smoky shadow, and she wore mascara as always. Correcting a smudge of shadow with a fingertip, Max straitened.

"I'll do. Let's go. I think my mother sent a cab-"

At that moment, there was a knock on the flat door.

"Hey, Max, your ride's here!" A voice- several voices- shouted from outside the door and the floor below.

"'Kay, we're coming!" Max shouted back. This casual informality was normal- the studio flat Max lived in was one of many in a series of buildings full of London artists. The enormous building- once several, back in the 1800's- was something of a mecca for struggling artists and young twenty-something's. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, rowdy and free-wheeling. Of course, this was Whitechapel, not Knightsbridge.

_Which was kind of the point_, Evy thought as they tramped down the old wooden stairs. Max had emancipated herself for many reasons, but prominent among them had been the desire to be as far away from the conservative and posh attitude of her original district. Knightsbridge and Max would and did not get along well. Whitechapel and Max did.

That was how Evy had met Max- as a girl as new to this area of London as Evy was to her neighborhood of Bethnal Green. Sixteen and newly emancipated, Max had met Evy on their first day at Dow Falbe Secondary, which straddled the border between the districts. Now Max was as indistinguishable from this area as she had stood out before.

As they climbed into the cab, careful not to rip or damage anything, Evy saw a particular mask slip over Max's face. It was a look of carefully crafted impassiveness, with no emotion on it whatsoever. And, frankly, on a girl whose face was normally full of emotion, downright creepy.

"Max?"

"I'm alright, Evy. Me and my parents just don't get along. So, for the sake of peace, I keep my thoughts to myself. Hence the lack of emotion."

For a second, a ghost of a smile lingers on Max's face. It may only be there for a second, but it is an immense reassurance to Evy- a reassurance that her friend is there, under the appearance of a cold, aloof stranger.

#

The cab pulled up in front of a well lit and grand edifice that surely must be a relic from the eighteenth century.

"_That's_ your parent's house?" Evy squeaks incredulously. The white stone building must be worth millions, at _least_. Evy knew Max's parents were plenty rich-you'd have to be, to live in Knightsbridge- but not _that_ rich.

"No," Max chuckled. "That's not my parent's house. This is the venue for their latest extravaganza. It's an old Victorian mansion the owner restored and turned into a rather exclusive and stuffy restaurant. I'e been here a few times, pre-freedom. The upstairs has a ballroom and a large dining area we'll probably be using. My parents may be rich, but they aren't rich enough to buy out the whole place on a Friday night."

"Oh…."

They got out of the cab, once again careful not to damage anything. Max shut the door firmly, and asked the cabbie to come back at eight. The man nodded, and drove around the block to find a place to wait. She turned back to Evy, and they began walking toward the grand hulk.

"A bit overwhelmed?" she smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry, it's not so hard. Dinner's over, so you don't have to worry about that. Just say hello to people, introduce yourself, and pay them a compliment when they pause for breath. We'll be gone by eight."

Evy had a feeling Max's last sentence was more to reassure herself than Evy.

#

The restaurant _was_ beautiful- polished wood was everywhere, with candle and soft electric light gleaming off the metal fixtures. While Max talked with the Maître'd, Evy observed everything, fascinated. After a few minutes, they were shown upstairs by a hostess.

"Miss Carver, Miss Tyler, if you would follow me?"

They followed, heels making almost no sound in the thick plush carpet that covered the stairwell. Upstairs was even more beautiful, if that was possible. The floor still retained its original floor plan, and elegantly dressed guests with cocktails and glasses of champagne flowed through the hall into the rooms with doors ajar.

"The Green Room has a table with refreshments, and the third floor is also open to guests. Please enjoy yourselves." The hostess sounded bored, as if she had already made this statement a thousand times before.

Then again, she probably had.

"Thank you. We will," Max said. The hostess nodded and disappeared back downstairs.

"So now what?"

"First," Max said with a long suffering look before putting her mask firmly back on, this time with an expression of polite enjoyment, "We go find my parents. And then we mingle until eight."

Max's parents proved to be a lovely woman in her early forties, and a man who looked rather to smug and arrogant.

"Hello, Mum. Dad." Max's voice was expressionless, monotone. Clearly, she was going through the motions, and no more.

"Alice! How nice to see you!" The woman smiled and embraced Max, who returned the embrace but a little awkwardly. "Who is your friend?"

"Oh. This is Evelyna Tyler, a schoolmate of mine. Evy, these are my parents, Susanne and Jack Carver."

Jack took Evy's slightly outreached hand and shook it twice, firmly. "A pleasure to meet one of Alice's school friends." He said, disinterestedly, and let her hand fall.

Susanne took Evy's limp hand and pressed it once. "A pleasure to meet you, Evelyna. Alice told us about you- how hard it must be for you."

Evy, unsure of what Susanne was talking about, or how to respond, blinked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Max wince.

"Mrs. Carver?"

"Oh, your father, of course. So terrible, leaving your mother and you alone. How do you manage?"

"Ah-yes. My Mum and I do just fine. Mickey helps out often." She said lamely, unsure of how to respond to such a personal query. Obviously, Susanne was a gossip, and Evy hoped that Max's mother would drop the topic if she didn't get any information.

But Jack intruded. "Disgraceful, that's what it is. My apologies to you, Evelyna, but any man and woman with mutual feelings for each other should make a commitment to each other before they share living space. If they don't, that's what happens. Women end up with children and their partners run off, leaving them to drain the welfare system. " He says this proudly, standing up in an almost military fashion, as though his opinion is the only right one.

Evy can feel her face grow hot. Again, out of the corner of her eye, she sees Max's eyes flash with outrage. She grits her teeth, and forces herself to respond civilly. After all, if she can deal with UNIT's medical team in a civilized manner, she can deal with this git the same way.

"Mr. Carver, you seem to be under the illusion that my father abandoned my family, because he was not committed to my mother, and so did not love my mother, nor me. However, since you are obviously misinformed, I will enlighten you."

Max's father's face is a mix a shock, contrition, and burgeoning anger. Obviously, he is unused to being contradicted.

"My mother and father were not married, that is true," Evy said, spitting out the words with careful and quiet venom. "But my father did not _abandon_ her. He lost her. They were separated, and they never found each other again. Furthermore, they were not sharing _living space_, as you put it."

Well, they _were_, but not in the way he meant. She continued, struggling to contain her fury.

"It was once. An accident. And my father never knew what came of that accident. He never knew of me. So do not _dare_ to insinuate what you just did about my parents."

With that, unwilling to be in the presence of Max's pompous and self-righteous father any longer, Evy walked deliberately away, leaving Jack Carver in a state akin to a fish.

Once out of the room, in the hall, Evy sped up. Weaving through the guests, she fled, climbing the stairs to the third floor two at a time. She didn't care who saw, or what they thought. Behind her, she could hear Max calling her name, but she didn't respond.

Reaching the third floor landing, Evy broke into dry, heaving sobs as she continued to flee, now down the third floor hall. She broke into a run and burst into a dark room, flinging herself on the floor before the enormous window.

God, she wanted to kill that bastard. How _dared _he! How could he _dare_ to insinuate that her mother was little more than chattel for having a child out of marriage, or without a man by her side?

Evy pressed her cheek against the cool glass of the window as she continued to sob.

_Not fair, not fair…_

The floorboards by the door creaked as someone stepped into the room. Instantly, Evy's senses were on alert. This was not Max, she could tell. These footsteps were heavier, more masculine.

"Oh, hello. What have we here?" The voice, though a pleasant light baritone, has a slight and undeniable undertone, and Evy feels a sudden, overwhelming urge to run.

* * *

_***Note on the Song: this song applies to the next chapter as well, but since the next one is set in a club, it will feature club music. Just for the purpose of setting. **_

**P.S: Yes, I have watched Lemonade Mouth, and have listened to actress Brigit Mendler. (What can I say? The girl's got a decent voice.) This does not mean I, in any way, endorse, support, watch or care for the Disney Channel. Also, if you can find me on Polyvore (lissadragomir) I have Evy and Max's dresses up there. I think you can figure out which is which, no offense. **

_**-Wings**_


	9. Turmoil

**Yeah- remember how I said I wasn't going to post this weekend? Well- I lied. Sue me. You guys get and extra post, and in a couple days, another, because I had a writing frenzy at midnight. This, like the previous chapter, was supposed to be part of another, but it grew into its own chapter. Fair warning, this contains some implied stuff that might not be appropriate. However, nothing really **_**happens**_**, so- this should be okay. **

**And, to all those who took the time to review, and all those who faved my story (Or put it on their alerts) I love you all. You are the best, and keep me motivated and writing on schedule. **

**-**_**Wings**_

_**Song ~ Tomorrow Will Be Kinder by the Secret Sisters**_

* * *

Evy's head snapped up, eyes alert for any moves the intruder might make.

By the faint light from the hall and the window, Evy could see that the owner of the voice was a young man of about twenty-three. He was well dressed, as far as she could see, and his eyes were hungry as he looked at her. His posture and that look gave little doubt as to what his intentions were.

Hastily, she drew her knees in from their sprawled position, tensing as she waited for him to make a move. Her mind, spurred by fear, kicked into overdrive.

_She was at a disadvantage. He was stronger and taller than she was; she could probably fight him off long enough to get away, but she was hampered by her dress and shoes. If she screamed, it was unlikely anyone could hear her. The stoutly built Victorian walls would muffle the sound, and the music and chatter would cover the rest. There was one exit, and he and the couch were in between her and it. _

Evy got to her feet, backing up against the wall. The man slowly walked into the room, a cunning smile on his face.

"Now, sweet thing, don't worry, I won't hurt you. What are you crying for? Has your man gone and left you?"

Evy found her lips dry as she licked them. All her earlier rage and power seemed to have deserted her. Half her mind shrieked in fear, and the other screamed for her to run. If she could maneuver around the couch quick enough, then escape was hers-

"Come on, Sugar." The man was closer now, and his smile was menacing- the smile of triumph hunters wear before their captured prey.

"Stay away from me." Her voice was steady- and the response was reflex, if a bit pathetic. The man, with his intentions clear, wasn't going to go away because she asked nicely.

"Don't be like that. I just want to help you."

"Like hell." Evy's voice managed to contain a front of fury, but in reality, her hands were shaking. He was between her and the exit, and even if she managed to get him down, odds were he'd be back up again before she was halfway down the hall. "If you take one step closer, I'll scream."

Evy knew any scream she made wouldn't be heard, but hopefully the man thought she was drunk and didn't know about the thickness of the walls. Apparently, it was both. He paused, thinking.

Evy was inching toward the exit when another figure appeared in the light of the hall. Evy froze.

"Nathan?" It was a woman, and judging from her upswept hair and highly elegant purple velvet dress, from the same party as they were.

"What in the name of-" The woman paused in the doorway, taking in the scene. Evy's eyes and hers locked. Instantly, as she saw clearly what was happening, the woman became a warrior, her soft voice cutting like a lash.

"Nathan, get out. I don't need to hear your excuses, just get out. Go find your girlfriend and hook up with her, if you have to so bad. I've heard about you, and I'm not going to let it happen again. Feel lucky if I don't report you to the police. Now go."

The man- Nathan- looked stunned before the onslaught of the woman who was suddenly like an avenging angel of fury. He took one long look at the woman, and fled.

Evy breathed an enormous, shuddering sigh, and slumped down the wall, her legs suddenly too weak to hold her up. The woman crossed the room swiftly, managing to catch Evy before she fell completely.

Gently, she eased Evy down onto the floor, and stared into her eyes, providing a lifeline to which the pale and trembling Evy could cling.

"Just breathe, honey. It's okay, you're okay. Just breathe for a few minutes." The woman's voice was soothing, calming, all the fury she still felt carefully harnessed and locked down. As Evy managed to regain control of herself and get over her fright, the woman spoke in a gentle tone of voice.

"I'm Melissa, Max's cousin. I'm the Melissa who's going to be a doctor- the one med student who missed the episode at the Royal Hope."

Evy managed to laugh, her fright dissipating.

"There we go; a laugh! Think you can stand up and tell me what happened now?" Melissa's voice is caring without being patronizing; Evy nodded in reply.

Melissa offered her a hand, but Evy regained her feet on her own.

"Did he hurt you?" Melissa's voice is soft and gently probing, but non-judgmental. This must be her 'patient' voice.

"No." Evy' s voice is a little raspy, but she gets the word out fine. "Nothing happened."

"Good. You alright?" Melissa's 'doctor voice' comes into play here.

Evy nodded, carefully. Yes, she was alright. Nothing had happened, and if she was a little shaken up, then she wasn't going to let in ruin what Max had in store for her.

"Are you -"

"Oh, thank God, Lissa, you found her!" Max, her eyes full of genuine worry and almost-panic came running into the room.

Melissa nodded. "She's alright. But you two might want to leave- I don't think the party's going to be much more fun for any of you."

"Damn. Yes, you're right. You saw me bitch out my Dad after what he said to Evy?"

Melissa snorted, revealing how young she really was with that gesture. She couldn't have been more than twenty five. "Yes, I did. It was quite memorable- and very loyal of you to stand up for Evy-"

"The man deserved it," Max muttered.

"-but I don't think Evy needed the help. She did quite well on her own."  
Evy, by now mostly recovered, broke in.

"Thanks." She said dryly.

Melissa resumed talking. "I'll make your apologies and ask Emily to cover for you. God knows the little blonde owes you a favor."

"She owes me a dozen, but I'm not keen to collect right now."

Melissa shrugged. "Okay. Where were you two going after this?"

"I was going to take Evy to Vertigo after we stopped at my apartment."

"Fine. Just be careful, okay? I think your friend has had enough excitement for one evening."

Max looked guilty.

"I'm _fine_, really!" Evy protested. Yes, she had been scared. Terrified, in fact. But there were a lot worse things she had faced. Slightly insane former Torchwood double agents in Pete's world came to mind. Nathan, as frightening and perverted as he was, just couldn't compare.

Melissa looked at her doubtfully. "You sure-?"

Evy sagged slightly. She so didn't want to explain the cover story again. But Max saved her.

"Evy's seen a lot in sixteen years. Don't worry about her, if she says she's fine. It's when she admits something _is_ wrong that you worry."

Melissa's face lightened a little. "Okay. Go on with you, then."

#

They were back in Max's apartment, and Evy was, for the second time that night, playing dress up. Only this time, she was quite vehemently arguing against what Max wanted her to wear.

"I can't wear that! I just can't!"

Max rolled her eyes. "The girl who can tell off one of the richest men in London backs down when confronted with a slightly revealing outfit. Oh, the irony."

"Max, that is not slightly revealing, it's very revealing! My Mum would kill me if she found me in that! For that matter, she's going to kill me if she finds out where we were tonight!"

After Evy and Max had left the disastrous party, the cabbie had taken them back to Max's flat. Her artist neighbors were still awake and carousing, but most had gone up to their rooms or some of the upstairs public spaces. When they had gotten there, Max had spilled the beans.

Vertigo, where Max had planned to take Evy, was a very hip club in the heart of downtown. Vertigo was so named for both the triangular outdoor porch that hung off the third floor, seemingly suspended in midair, and the balconies on the inside, which were built out of material that was completely see through, giving the illusion of floating in midair for the dancers.

Caught up in her enthusiasm for this idea, Max had called Rose, arranged for Evy to spend the night, and proceeded to dress in her club attire. Evy had been hesitant- she didn't like lying to her mum. Rose was a very reasonable parent, and her rules were there for a very good reason. The times Evy had been snatched in Pete's World had convinced her of that.

This wasn't breaking those rules, by the letter, but in the spirit, Evy, by going along with this, was absolutely shattering them. Still, she had agreed. Something in her needed to do something impulsive; to break out of the restrictions and rules and sacrifices and pain of her daily life. But Max's idea of appropriate club attire was going way too far.

The overly enthused eighteen year old had proceeded, as soon as she was dressed in _her_ outfit – a black corset top, black mini-skirt, ripped fishnets, and sturdy boots with a sensible heel- to drag out of the closet what she thought Evy should wear. Low cut black lace top, dark stretchy mini, and heels.

Evy had taken one look and refused.

"Please wear it? For me?" Max had put a begging look, comically pleading her friend.

Evy felt herself start to waver. "Alright! Fine! I'll wear one of your club outfits! But-"

She was interrupted by Max's loud celebration. "Yes! I won! Max triumphs over all!"

Evy rolled her eyes, and tried again, crossing her arms over her chest. "But not that one."

Max's jubilant celebration was quickly cut short.

#

After a long debate- and several impatient honks from the cabbie- Evy and Max finally compromised on a denim mini and a sparkly silver top that, while low, was modest enough for Evy. However, Evy, when faced with the prospect of heels again, had laced on her Converse and called it good.

Both girls had forgone purses- but Evy had tucked the old photo of her dad, stained and careworn, into her pocket beside her phone. As they drove down to the club, she fingered the shape it made through the fabric of her skirt.

There was a tension in the air tonight, and she didn't think it was nerves. Something was building. Tonight, something was going to happen.

* * *

**Okay, here's where I shamelessly beg the people who got me 5,000 plus hits and didn't review to do so. Reviews are my (writing) lifeblood, people! Please review! The button's right there!**


	10. Discovery

**Oh, I can hear the screams of outrage for this cliffhanger already! Yes, I love torturing you guys. And Evy, sadly enough. The poor girl's having a rough birthday. However, it's gonna get a whole lot sweeter. Wait until you see her birthday present. (The girl better be grateful. She kept me up until one writing this.)**

**As always, those who review have my undying love and gratitude. **

_**Song ~ Touch Me by SMASH/Katherine McPhee**_

The club was located in an old warehouse- that explained why they had so many floors. Evy felt apprehension and excitement as Max lead her through the foyer, bypassing the lounge in favor of the dance floor.

Vertigo's dance floor was full of closely packed bodies, all dancing or grating to the music that screamed from the DJ's booth. Multicolored lights flicked over and danced with the crowd, flashing off the mirrors and glass that covered the walls. Every surface flat enough to put a mirror on was mirrored; even the ceiling. The effect was disorienting and thrilling. The club was aptly named; even with her feet firmly on the ground, Evy felt like she was spinning and floating.

She turned to smile at Max, shouting in order to give her thanks.

"THIS IS GREAT!"

Max nodded, and shouted back.

"I KNOW! HEY, WANNA GO UPSTAIRS?"

"SURE, WHY?"

"UPSTAIRS IS THE BEST! AND IT'S LESS CROWDED!"

"ALRIGHT! LEAD ON!"

Max grabbed Evy's hand firmly, and tugged her to a set of stairs (mirrored, of course), leading up. They went up two floors, until they came to the third floor which was only moderately crowed, as opposed to the first and second, which had been packed. The third floor balcony and dance floor hung out over the main floor, just over the second. A set of stairs connected the two, anticipating the idiots who would try to hop the rail and leap the three foot gap, never mind the twenty foot drop that awaited failure.

The song changed. A harsh beat began pounding out, enticing the dancers with its rhythm. Soon, the floor was once again alive with moving bodies, dancing and pressing against each other. Evy, despite her hesitation, threw caution to the wind and moved with them.

It was a peculiar state- the music pounded through her like an external heartbeat, pushing her on as she danced within the crowd. She became aware only of the music and the pulsing lights; the people who danced with her.

She emerged from her trance about an hour later, needing to use the bathroom. As she hastily did so, she realized that Max's insistence on skimpy clothes had a practical reason- she was sweating heavily. The dancing and the body heat of the others in the room were warming her up. If she had been in the clothes she wanted, she would have been drenched in sweat by now.

Splashing water from the sink on her face and neck to cool down, she pulled out her phone to check if her mum had called. There were no messages, but one text.

_Happy Birthday, sweethearts. I'll see you tomorrow. Have fun with Max. I love you. -Mum_

Quickly, and with a stab of guilt for what she was doing, she texted back.

_Thnx, Mum, I will. C U tomorrow. Luv U, Evy. _

She sent that, and turned off the phone. Putting it back in her pocket, she accidently pulled out the photo of her dad. Picking it up, she debated unfolding it, and examining the image again.

She was sure she had it memorized; but each time she looked at the picture, some detail had faded from her memory. Slightly irritated, she shoved the picture back in her pocket. This was her sixteenth, Max and her's illicit celebration. She didn't have to ruin it with memories and what she was missing, and she refused to do so.

Evy hastily washed up and dashed back out onto the dance floor, eager to renter the trance that came with the dancing. The lyrics of the song flowed through her, guiding her back as she surrendered to them.

_So come and turn me on, Baby be my Marlin Brando _

_Take a good snapshot, Get me from my better angle_

_cause I like it hot and you know I love a scandal_

_Tell me, whatcha, whatcha waiting for? _

_Touch me (touch me)_

_I want to feel it on my body, put your hands on me_

_Come on and love me_

_You want it get it boy, I'll give you till the count of three _

_Hold me closer, don't wanna take it slow _

_I want to go somewhere we can be alone _

_Touch me (touch me)_

#

Evy stumbled, losing her harmony with the music. Feeling weariness in every limb, Evy got off the floor, walking over to one of the tables set up for just this purpose. Checking the clock in her phone, she was surprised to see that it was only ten forty-five.

Putting the phone away, Evy leaned back in her chair. She would have expected it to be later. Getting up, she walked over to the small bar and ordering a virgin cocktail. The bartender gave her an odd look until he saw how young she was. He smiled in approval.

"Enough time to make a fool out of yourself when you're legal," he said, pushing the drink over the counter toward her. "On the house. Good for you, luv." Evy smiled, surprised, and nodded her thanks.

She sipped the drink, something involving mangos, lemons, and strawberries. It was rather good, actually, a bit sweet without the bite of alcohol, but not so sweet she wouldn't drink it.

Finishing it, she left the glass on the bar and got up. She wanted to find Max- the girl was an experienced mosher, and could certainly handle herself well here- but Evy was still mortal, and she wanted to go get something to eat. Badly.

Her stomach growled, reminding her how long it had been since her –disgusting- UNIT pre-blood draw snack. Doubling her efforts, she waded through the dancers, looking for a girl in a black corset top and fishnets.

Like that was easy. Half the girls and women there seemed to be wearing corsets and fishnets. Deasperate, Evy began looking at shoes. Corsets and fishnets might have been popular, but Max's boots were distinctive. She was fairly sure that would narrow down the selection a bit.

So intent on looking at shoes was she, she crashed head on into another person. It was a college age guy, with mussed sandy brown hair, open, guileless brown eyes, and who was just a bit unsteady on his feet.

"Sorry!" Evy exclaimed hastily, and swerved around him, intent on finding Max.

"Hey! Pretty girl!" he called after her after a moment. Evy paused, a little irritated.

"What?" she said harshly.

He stood there for a moment, as if making up his mind about something. Then his face cracked a smile.

"Just this."

He bent down and kissed her.

For a moment, Evy was surprised, and then she was disgusted. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, and the sweat rising from his clothes. Disgusted, she shoved him off her, panting with the effort in the sticky and humid air of the club. For a moment, she debated slapping him. But then she looked again.

The boy was obviously drunk. And if he hadn't been, he probably wouldn't have kissed her. So, with great regret, Evy let him off with a look of death, and disappeared back into the crowd.

However, the thought and feel of his kiss did not vanish quite so easily. Evy scrubbed her lips with the back of her hand. It wasn't the kiss that disgusted her. Or the boy. Well, not mostly the boy. It was the way he had done it, and the stench he had.

Suddenly, as though it had permeated the air, Evy could smell it everywhere. The reek of alcohol and sweat and cheap beer and cheaper perfume. The press of people and the beat of the music, once so inviting, now repulsed her. Consumed with the need for a breath of fresh air, she abandoned her shoe search.

Spinning, she frantically tried to find the door that lead to the famous third floor balcony. It was never locked on club nights, Max had told her, and so it was the quickest way to air.

There! On the far side of the room she found it. She pushed through crowds of people, desperate to reach the outside and escape the now intolerable scent of the club.

Everything seemed to move slowly, as if in a nightmare. Time seemed to crawl at a snail's pace, her limbs to move as if cutting through jelly.

Gasping, Evy burst through the door onto the now deserted balcony. Feeling herself wobble, she grabbed the rail of the balcony barrier. She gasped in lungfulls of clean, cold air, gulping it as though she had been drowning. For several minutes she stood there, eyes closed, steadying herself as her lungs inhaled gasps of oxygen.

Gradually, her breathing slowed, and she was able to open her eyes. The crisp London night air refreshed her, cooling her heated skin. Still, she remained where she was, taking deep breaths of the fresh air.

_God, I do not want to go back in there. _

With effort, she loosened her death grip on the rail. Seeking a distraction, she looked down, into the darkened street.

And then she drew in a shocked breath. Evy blinked and wiped her eyes, disbelieving what she saw, and yet rejoicing in it.

For, tucked in the ill-lit corner of an out of the way alley, was a blue police box.

* * *

**Yeah- maybe Evy's just to attractive for her own good! **

**Okay, instead of begging for reviews here, like I did last time, I need help. In the next chapter, Evy will be having a crisis of conscience about taking off with the Doctor (who she isn't telling about his fatherhood). Rose is unavailable, (like a sensible person, she went to bed **_**before**_** one) and Evy will be making some phone calls. Who should be the one person she gets through to? Choices: Ross, Max, a UNIT official she actually trusts (**_**there's**_** a long shot), or your original idea. Submit a review with your vote. **


	11. Indecison

**Hello , everyone, welcome to the longest chapter yet! Ross won- so you get to watch a little romantic action between Evy and her almost boyfriend. Yes, I know that the Doctor and Martha don't meet her in this chapter, but next chapter, they will. I promise! And I promise it will be up soon!**

_**Song ~ Winds of Change by Scorpions**_

* * *

For a moment, Evy couldn't breathe. Her heart- hearts- sped up as she tried to process the impossibility before her eyes. A blue police box. In an alley, just across the street. On her sixteenth birthday.

Was it just her, or was this too improbable _not_ be true?

As if in a dream, Evy stepped back from the rail. Her mind reeled, searching for a way to explain this, to show how this wasn't real, to prove that it _was_. She grasped for an explanation, for proof that this was as real as she wanted, as real as she had hoped for and dreamed of for oh, so many years.

Suddenly, she had to be down there. To feel the wood of what she barely dared to believe might be the TARDIS, to make sure that this was not some cruel trick, or a hallucination from something the bartender might have slipped into her drink.

The thought spurred her feet into action. She ran, bursting back through the door in an ironic reversal of her previous flight. She ran through the club, ignoring music and people, pushing past those she couldn't dodge.

At last, she was outside, on the ground, across the street from the alley in which the TARDIS was parked. The image hadn't disappeared- proof that it was not a hallucination, and further proof that it was real. But, now that she was here, less than a hundred feet away from the blue box she had dreamed about for so long, she was afraid to come any closer. The irrational fear that the Police Box might disappear the moment she came closer halted her on the sidewalk, simply staring in wonder and amazement.

Then, involuntarily, her feet took one step closer. Then another. Slowly, almost reverently, she approached the solitary blue box. Soon, she stood before it, shivering slightly from both cold and emotion. It seemed real enough- the Police Box cast a shadow on the grimy pavement littered with trash and discarded "Vote Saxon" candidate posters, and it did not waver in her vision as a hallucination might.

Her hand reached out, to touch, to assure herself, one final time, that this was real. Her fingers brushed one of the panels, and she felt the silky smoothness of paint and wood worn from years of travel. A slight hum, tinged with gold, seemed to flow through them for a moment.

"Oh, my God." She whispered to herself, savoring the smooth feel of the wood under her fingertips. "It's real. It's completely real."

#

The Doctor was currently very puzzled. And, to an extent, he had been enjoying it. It wasn't very often he was able to be puzzled, or fooled, for any length of time. But that extent was quickly reaching its end.

He and Martha had just come back from New Earth when the TARDIS had found some very strange energy signals, coming from 21st Century Earth- the original one.

Normally, he might have dismissed it; left it for UNIT or one of the freelance alien hunters to deal with, if it became a problem. But now- well. If he was being honest, it was to provide a welcome distraction from- things.

So, here they were, sneaking around UNIT headquarters. He had traced the signal to the hangar bay, so there they were. It was darkened, but he could still see that it was crowded with artifacts and aircraft, not all of them terrestrial. Not even most of them terrestrial.

Martha, however, could probably only see the shapes outlines. He winced silently as she stumbled over another object. She didn't fall, and it wasn't very loud, but any sound could alert the guards he was sure were on duty. If they were caught, it wasn't very likely they would be punished- but that didn't mean he wanted to answer questions.

Carefully, he used the sonic screwdriver to trace the energy signature. Following where it pointed, and motioning for Martha to follow him, he found a door set into the wall of an irregularly shaped corner in the hangar. He tried the knob as Martha drew level with him. It was locked, unsurprisingly.

Quietly as he could, he used the sonic to trip the lock mechanisms and unlock the door. It swung open silently and easily at his touch, revealing a workroom, dark like the hangar, but dimly lit by the powerlights of a hundred different contraptions. The lights- blue, green, red- flashed slowly and steadily, each to their own rhythm, creating their own personal lightshow.

"Ah-hah!" There it was. The source of the strange power was a small device, about the size of a desktop computer. It sat on the table in the middle of the room, surrounded by mismatched parts and pieces of parts.

Closing the door behind him and Martha, he ran the sonic over the device.

"What is it?" Martha asked in a hushed whisper.

"It's some sort of generator- oh! That's clever."

"What is?"

"It's a communications device that supplies its own power- enough for this to broadcast from here to oh- Pluto, maybe?" He shifted the device towards them, examining it with insatiable curiosity.

"The trouble is-"

"Oh, now ,here we go," Martha muttered.

"That this isn't the device's original function. It's been improved on. Rebuilt and improved on, by the look of it," The Doctor said, admiringly, running the sonic down the gaps in the device's casing. "So it shouldn't be producing energy anymore. At least not when the power supply system isn't on. Not as well as it's been built. "

"So-" Martha slowly began edging toward the door, looking at the thing as if it was going to blow up in her face.

"So, we're taking it. Something is wrong here, and I want to find out what." Martha stared at him with a disbelieving expression. "Relax, it's not going to explode."

"You sure about that?"

"Oh, completely."

Martha still looked doubtful, but she stopped edging out the door and stepped a little closer. The Doctor picked up the device, after first using the sonic to turn it completely off, including whatever was producing the power.

"C'mon. I want to get back to the TARDIS and analyze this."

"Tinker with it, you mean."

#

Evy must have stood there for half an hour, trying to figure out what to do. Should she call someone? Who? Should she call her mum? Or should she just stand there, waiting?

Finally, the night's chill had decided her. She went back to the club, grabbing her hoodie from behind the coat check, and returned to the TARDIS. Silently, she stood there, staring at the TARDIS while her mind tried to figure out what to do. She could call her mum-

Yes, that would probably be the best thing to do.

With trembling fingers, Evy pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed the flat number. The phone rang… and rang… and went to message service.

"Hello, this is the Tylers. We're out or asleep right now, so please call us back later." The voice was cheerful; happy and hopeful. Evy heard her fourteen year old voice add "At a decent hour, please!" in the background. Normally, the cheeky line of her fourteen year old self made her smile, but not tonight. She needed to talk to her mum. Frowning, her fingers dialed the seldom used number for Rose's UNIT office.

The phone rang once and went to the message service. "This is Rose Tyler; either our office is closed or I and my team are unavailable at the moment. Please call back later. If this is a serious issue, please phone your senior commander and have him contact me. Thank you." This message was much more serious in tone; a person hearing the two separately probably would never connect the lighthearted sounding woman from the flat number with this serious sounding civilian consultant, except for the surname.

Evy could feel herself starting to panic, just a bit, and forced herself to calm down. _There's still her cell number_, she told herself. Her fingers flew as she keyed in this last number. This time, the phone rang twice before going to the recording.

_No, no, no!_

"This is Rose Tyler, I'm not able to answer my phone right now. Please leave a message and I'll call you when I have time." The woman in this message sounded tired, as if she had been working long past her strength. She sounded lost and careworn, much older than she really was, nothing like the cheerful woman of the flat message, or the crisp, capable, almost cold woman from the UNIT message.

Silently, Evy ended the call. Who could she call now? Who would be even the least able to help her?

Carefully, Evy dialed Max's cell next. Not that she had much hope of the phone being heard in the loud club, but it was a habit. Max had always been there when she needed her; she had always meant shelter since the time Evy had first started to realize how much her dad's absence weighed on her mum.

As she had expected and dreaded, the phone went to message. "Max here. If you're calling this number, you're either a friend or an ex. So, if you're a friend, leave a message or call me back. If you're an ex, there's a very good reason I dumped you, so stay off the line. Thanks!"

Evy once again ended the call. Who could she call now? Desperately, she dialed in the number for David's cell phone. Once again, all she got was message service.

"This is David Jacobsen; I'm unable to answer my phone right now, so please leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as possible."

Her hand shook a little as she hung up the _should_ she call now? All her life, even when she had started asserting her independence, there had been someone behind her, ready to catch her if she ever fell to far. And always, since they had left Pete's World, there had been Max. Max, who was friend, confidant, older sister, and bodyguard. And now, there was no one.

Needing reassurance desperately, Evy glanced up at the TARDIS, almost involuntarily. For some reason, the sight of it filled her with a deep sense of comfort. However, comfort did not allay her desire- her _need_ -for advice.

Slowly, idly, Evy scrolled through the pre-programmed numbers, searching for one she could actually call. Then she saw it.

_Ross Jenkins_

_201-975-4980_

For a moment, she hesitated. She had only ever called him once- as a concert invite on Max's behalf. She still got a funny feeling in her stomach whenever she thought about calling him. Or the day he had given that number to her.

But- there was no one left to call, no one she trusted enough. Because for whatever crazy reason, call it gut feeling, she did trust him; she trusted Ross implicitly. So.

She took a deep breath, selected the number, and pressed the call button.

Ross Jenkins woke up from an uneasy sleep as his phone rang. Cursing, he managed to raise himself enough out of bed to grab the annoying thing. Glaring blearily at the bright light of the phone, he was sorely tempted to turn the damn thing off and go back to bed.

He had just started his new shift, at an uneasy time between day and night, and so was still getting used to waking up late and working until eleven. Which meant that most of the time, he was ready to drop just from sheer exhaustion. He wasn't complaining; the new shift meant fewer duties, and more of the more interesting and important sort. Still he did miss some things about his old shift- sleep, and, he was a little surprised to find, Evy Tyler.

He liked her, he really, _really_ liked her. Oh, she was pretty- she was gorgeous; look at how the other junior soldiers jumped over themselves to flirt with her- but that wasn't half of why he liked her. She was so- strong, he supposed. That was really the only word he could think of to describe all that he couldn't put into words. But Evy was so much more-

The phone in his hand rang again, cutting through his thoughts. He grimaced, and propped his head up with his elbow so he could answer it.

"Hello?" He said groggily.

"Ross? Oh, god, did I wake you? I'm so sorry-"

"Wait- Evy? Is that you?" Why was she calling him so late? Her voice sounded worried, almost panicked.

"Last time I checked." Oh, another thing he loved about her- her healthy sense of humor. Wait- had he just said love? He liked Evy, a lot- more than a lot, actually- but love? Love was something people found in their late twenties and early thirties, not when they were sixteen and twenty. He got so wrapped up in this that he forgot he was actually on the phone.

"Ross? You still there?"

"Yeah, sorry. Dozed off. What's wrong?" he glanced at the clock for a second. "And why are you still up and alert at 11:30?"

"Oh. I didn't realize it was so late. Max took me clubbing." Oh. Evy, in a club. That, he would pay to see. Not that she covered up all the time, but Evy, in one of those skimpy outfits he saw the women at the bars wearing, smiling, laughing- that was a picture he'd dearly love to see…What the hell was he thinking? Evy was a friend. One day, she might be more, but right now, it was just friendship. Ruthlessly, he dragged his thoughts out of the gutter and back to the point.

"Did she leave you there?" Half of him groaned at the thought of leaving the bed, but if it was for a friend-

"What? NO! Max would never-"Her voice trailed off.

"Then what's wrong?"

He heard her take a deep breath over the phone, as if steadying herself. He braced himself for whatever she was about to say.

"I found the TARDIS."

Woah. Whatever he had expected, it wasn't that.

"Okaaaay. So you found the Doctor's TARDIS."

"Yes. I need your help."Her voice was very soft, as if she was either on the verge of tears.

"For what, Evy? Whatever it is, I'll try my best."

"Thanks, Ross. But you know all those rumors about my dad?"

"Yes." How could he not? As with anyone unusual, rumors swirled around Evy. The identity of her missing alien father was a hotly debated subject, and the real truth a closely guarded secret, kept among Rose, Evy, and UNIT's top brass. One of the best was that her real father was the Doctor, since her mother had been his Companion for several years. Personally, Ross doubted that one. It seemed one of UNIT's failings to automatically assume that anyone unusual with the slightest tie to the legendary Doctor had a familial tie.

"And you know that one that the Doctor is my dad?"

"Yes."

"It's true." Her voice is barely a whisper, and he's stunned. All he can do is listen as Evy tells him the story. "He never knew- my mum was barely three months when Doomsday happened. So I lived for fourteen years in a parallel world. Then we found a way back, but for some reason, the –transport- landed us right after Doomsday. Couple of months after, actually. I never believed we'd find him- I never even thought I'd be the one to find him! And now I don't know what the hell to do!"

He manages to make his frozen lips move.

"Did you call your mum?"

"Yes. Three different numbers- all I got was message service."

"Did you call Max? Or Lieutenant Jacobsen?"

"Yes. But neither of them will answer." He heard her rising panic- the way her voice got eerily calm.

"Alright. Evy, just take a deep breath. Calm down; it's okay. _I_ answered, right?"

He heard her breathing deeply for a moment before she replied.

"Yes. You did."

"Okay. Just breathe, Evy. I'm here, alright? What's wrong?"

"I don't know what to do! I found him- but I can reach my mum, and I have no idea what I should do! What the hell am I supposed to do?" Her voice is starting to climb into panic again, and he hastened to reassure her.

"Evy, you're fine. I'm not going anywhere. What do you need help with?"

"Please. Just tell me what I should do." Her voice is calmer, but it begged for him to do as she asked.

Oh, god. He has no idea what he should tell her. He has no experince with this- he's from a small village in Surrey, for crying out loud! His dad was a _lawyer_, not an oblivious Time Lord.

"Well, what do _you_ want? In relation to the- your dad." That would give him time to pummel his brain for something to tell her.

She took a deep breath. "I never thought about it much- I never dreamed _this_ would happen. " A small laugh. " I guess- I guess I just want to _know_ him- the person my mother knew. I just don't want things to be complicated- All I want, I suppose, is what my mum had. To see the things she did."

He listened, and decided to tell her something very wise he'd once been told himself.

"Okay, Evy- I have no experince with this. But I'm going to tell you something one of my commanders in training for UNIT told me and my group. He meant this for in battle, or on a mission, but I think it applies to you, right now. Trust your instincts- they're a whole lot more sensitive then you. And if that applies to me, who's only human, and you must have a whole lot better instincts than me, then yours are definatly worth trusting."

"I-"

"Just trust them, Evy. What do you think you should do?"

"I'll stay here. It- it feels like the right thing to do."

"Alright. Are you good now."

"Yes. Thank you so much, Ross. You have no idea."

"Anytime." He was about to hang up, but then he thought of something. If Evy did join her dad, then this might be his last chance for a long while to ask her something. Nervously, he spoke into the phone.

"Evy? Can I ask you something?" Did he sound as nervous as he felt?

"Yes, Ross?"

"Never- never mind. Just call me if you need to get into UNIT."

"Why would I-"

"A hunch."

The line was pregnant with the air of something unsaid- something important.

"Stay safe, Evy. I- I do care about you."

The line was silent for a long moment.

"I will. I promise. And if I need too call you, I will."

"That's all I can ask."

"Thank you, Ross. Thank you so much." Evy hung up.

Ross almost chucked the phone across the room. Why hadn't he asked her? Idiot! But he didn't throw the phone.

Intsead, He held it in his hand for a long time, just looking at it. Eventually, he set it aside and tried to go back to sleep. Somehow, though, despite his exhaustion, he wasn't quite able to.

* * *

**Hey, everybody, a little reminder to read and reveiw. Martha and the Doctor will meet our Evy in the next chapter, and Ross will have a key role. The next chapter will be your alien battle/world domination plot, so Evy will join the TARDIS. Something to look forward too. BTW, am I doing the Martha/Doctor interaction right? They're fairly tricky to get right ...**

**Anyway, my goal number of reviews for this chapter is eight, so please click that blue button and help me get there! **

**Side note :I HAVE ONLY 2.5 DAYS OF SCHOOL LEFT!**

**-Wings**


	12. Meetings

**Okay- a bit less action in this one, but the first Doctor/Evy meeting. I tried to explain why Evy isn't telling the Doctor right off- but if it isn't clear, PM me or leave a review. Mostly, she's not telling him because- a) insecurity, and b) well, what would you do? Run up to the Doctor screaming how he's your dad? Oh, and c) I have a much better time for the big reveal planned. (Heh, heh, heh.)**

**Also, my muse has been active lately, and not in this story. Indigo thought of an original Martha/Doctor/Evy adventure, so that has been taking up most of my time. (Along with AP summer homework- grrrrr.) More on that later. **

**The weather here sucks right now, so more chapters should be up soon. As always, review and you earn my undying gratitude. **

**Enjoy!**

_**Song ~ I'm Glad You Came by The Wanted**_

* * *

Evy absentmindedly stroked the smooth casing of her phone with her thumb, but kept one hand on the wood of the TARDIS. Her mind was still reeling, playing catch up to these events that had taken place so quickly.

First, and most importantly, there was the TARDIS. The blue box- the amazing, wonderful blue box- was there, right behind her. Despite her initial shock, Evy was quickly becoming used to the TARDIS's presence. It was surprising, even to her- but the TARDIS just felt so _right._

Second, though, was the growing problem of _what she was going to tell the Doctor_. She couldn't think of him as her father, not really. Biologically, yes, he was, but in every other way, no, not so much. How could you call a man you'd never met Dad? But right now, judging by the TARDIS's location, he was out and about. But how was she going to explain her presence next to the TARDIS, knowing what it was, who he was, and why she was dressed like- well.

Of course, she could just spit it out as soon as he showed up, but what was the likelihood that he'd believe that?

_Yes, I could just run up to him and tell him that I'm the daughter Mum never told him she was pregnant with. Yeah, he'd believe that. Not. Most likely he'd think I'm part of an alien plot or just a liar. Or insane. _

But she could just show him the photo, take him to Mum…

_Photos can be faked- one's hardly proof. And- taking him to Mum doesn't feel like a good idea. _

Taking the Doctor to Rose didn't just feel like a bad idea; at some deep, intrinsic part of her, it felt wrong- horribly, perversely wrong. So that was out.

She took a deep, calming breath, pushing a stray lock of slightly sweaty hair out of her eyes.

_Trust your instincts. _Ross's words echoed in her head. Yes, she would trust them. But what was she supposed to do when they offered no advice but to wait?

_Wait._

The voice sprang up unbidden, and Evy almost jumped in surprise. Was this instinct, or just some weird Time Lord thing her mother hadn't known of, and therefore hadn't been able to warn her about?

_Who asked you? _She thought back at it.

The voice seemed to almost chuckle. _Patience, child. All will be well._

Okay. Defiantly not her conscious, then. She stiffened, focusing on the voice. It didn't feel malicious, but how would she be able to tell?

_Do not worry. You will know me soon enough, child of time. I look forward to getting to know you, Valiant. _

How could the voice know her UNIT code name? And, more importantly, what was going on?

_Have patience, Evelyna. I am with you. _

The voice was warm, welcoming, but strong. Whoever it belonged to, she would not want to argue with them. Something told her she would lose.

_But who are you? _She thought back at it. There was no reply except a soft almost laugh, and the voice dissipated from her mind.

Evy shivered, and not just from the cold. She would wait, but she hoped to God that the Doctor would turn up soon.

#

Martha had to stretch her legs to keep up with the Doctor. He wasn't trying to leave her behind, she thought, but there was a focused expression on his face that she was already coming to recognize. It usually meant something was amiss, and that he intended to everything and everything that needed to be done to fix it.

Catching up to him for the fourth time since they had snuck back out of UNIT and started walking back to the TARDIS, she ventured a simple query.

"So. Why is that thing bad, if you liked it so much?"

"What thing? Oh, this? It shouldn't be producing energy- not any, at all. Even UNIT shouldn't be able to get it to do this."

"Why? Why wouldn't be giving off power? You said that it was supposed to be a generator."

"Well-yes, but I don't think any normal generator, alien or not, should be working when it's supposed to be off."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Something's going on, and I want to know what."

They walked quickly back to the TARDIS, cutting through alleys and little side streets. The streets were far from dark; it might have been close to midnight, but it was a Friday, and London's young adult and teenage population was out in full force. They filled clubs, bars, and the street. Martha was no stranger to this part of London, but she did wish, as they pushed through the crowds of inebriated and celebrating youth that the Doctor had parked the TARDIS a little closer to – UNIT, wasn't it?

"Couldn't you have parked closer?" She griped as she dodged another drunk uni student.

"I tried, but the only other place the TARDIS would park was right inside the base, and I didn't want _that_. To many questions from the guards."

"Your ship refused to park somewhere else?" Martha said, disbelieving.

"Don't sound so surprised. I told you, the TARDIS is alive. And she has a mind of her own." The Doctor said as he wove through the crowd with an ease that Martha envied.

"A very independent mind," he muttered. Martha got the feeling she wasn't supposed to hear that bit.

At last they reached the street the TARDIS was parked off of. A loud- very loud- club was located just across the street, and its music blared out across to Martha and the Doctor.

"Surprised you lot don't go deaf visiting those places," the Doctor said, gesturing with his free hand across toward the club, whose sign, painted on the building in neon and blacklight paint proclaimed it to be called 'Vertigo'.

"I wouldn't know," Martha replied, following the Doctor as they crossed the nearly empty street to the alleyway were the TARDIS had been- decided to be- parked. "I always tried to go to ones where the music was played at a decent level."

"Smart."

"I try." She smiled at him, hoping he'd notice, but he didn't. Not the way she wanted, at least. He smiled back at her, but it was that same one she had seen him give everyone else he greeted.

Frowning slightly after his back turned again, Martha followed him into the alley, expecting to find him already inside the TARDIS in his eagerness to fiddle with the device they'd stolen. Or, rather, _appropriated_. Instead, she plowed straight into his back.

"Oh, Doctor, I'm sorry. What is-" She hurried to apologize, but the Doctor didn't even appear to notice her. Instead, he was staring across the alley, at the figure half-hidden in shadow in front of the TARDIS.

He looked like someone who had just seen a ghost- pale and shocked beyond belief.

"Rose?" He whispered, barely loud enough to be heard.

#

Evy was growing very, very glad she had rejected the heels Max had suggested and donned her trusty converse instead.

She wasn't sure quite how long she had stood here- her rough estimate of about twenty minutes was based on the changes of songs from Vertigo. Not the most accurate clock in the world.

She really wanted to sit down, and her bare legs were covered in goose bumps from standing outside for so long.

For a while, she had hunted for a box or maybe some thrown out packaging that wasn't two grimy to sit on, but she had given up after finding nothing. So she leaned cautiously on a corner of the TARDIS, unconsciously half-hiding herself in shadow.

She closed her eyes, resting them. She didn't sleep, but her closed eyes allowed her to focus her attention inward. Gradually, as she waited, her fast heart rate slowed until it was just slightly above normal.

She breathed deeply, trying to relax and rein in the anxiety that she still felt. Attempting to distract herself, she expanded her senses, keeping her eyes closed.

Above, the music from Vertigo still pounded out over the street, but if she stretched her ears, beyond human as they were, she could hear the chatter of people underlying it. People, out and about on a Friday night, walked past on the street on the other side of the alley. Softly, she breathed in and out, listening to the sounds of happy and celebrating Londoners.

It was strangely hypnotic, the sound of so much life. She leaned her forehead gently against the TARDIS and just listened to it. She was so entranced; she almost didn't hear the footsteps coming up behind her, until a voice called out softly behind her.

"Rose?"

Evy jumped. She whipped around so fast, her hair fanned out behind her like an extension of the shadow she had been concealed in.

"Sorry?" She inched partially into the light, blinking her eyes to refocus them after being closed for so long. Two people stood at the entrance to the alleyway; a slim, fashionably dressed black woman- and a tall, lanky man whose hair stood almost straight on end. A man who she instantaneously recognized, and a woman she vaguely remembered.

"Oh! It's you, isn't it? You're the Doctor." Evy felt the words slip out of her mouth before she thought them. Hastily, she bit her tongue.

The Doctor, who had looked so stricken, instantaneously became curious.

"Yes. How do you know that?"

Evy's mind frantically searched for a reply. It was now or never- she could tell him or not.

"I'm from UNIT." She seized on that one fact and blurted it out. Somehow, she just couldn't bring herself to say the truth- the full truth.

He raised one eyebrow questioningly.

"You look a bit young for that. What's your name?"

"Evelyna Ty-Taylor." She slipped on her last name, changing it at the last second. She didn't know why she lied, but suddenly, her semi-secret had become a very big secret. All in the space of perhaps two minutes. Odd.

"Well, Evelyna Taylor, would you care to explain how you work for UNIT? Oh, by the way, this is Martha. Martha Jones. She's a- a friend."

The woman- Martha- looked a little surprised at that, but she smiled at Evy nonetheless.

Evy blushed a little, trying to think of what to say. She decided carefully crafted truth was the best way to go.

"I help my mum. She works for them. So- hey! Why do you have that?" Evy gestured to the device the Doctor still carried.

"It's a-"

"Yeah, I know what it is. I built it! But why do you have it?"

Martha smirked while the Doctor looked properly embarrassed.  
"I-ah-"

Evy smiled. "You stole it, didn't you?"

"I appropriated it."

Evy shrugged, still smiling. "Appropriated. Alright. But still, why do you have it? Right now it should be locked up in the hangar bay workroom with all the other stuff I work on."

"It was doing something it shouldn't. And I wanted to take a look."

"You couldn't look at it in the hangar?"

Martha rolled her eyes and spoke for the first time. "No, he couldn't. We had to carry it all the way here from the Tower."

The Doctor gave Martha an amused look. "We?"

Martha ignored him. Evy watched the two of them. This wasn't at all what she'd expected- but then, this was probably better.

The Doctor turned back to Evy. "You built this?" Evy nodded.

"Yeah. I had help, but it was mostly me."

"Alright, Evelyna-"

"Evy," she corrected him automatically.

"-Evy," he corrected himself amicably. "If you built this, and you know what it does, then tell me, is it supposed to produce energy while it's turned off?"

Evy shook her head, surprised. "No, it shouldn't even be working yet. We just installed the power couplets and the converter this- today."

The Doctor grinned. "Alright then. So we have something interesting. Come on, Evy Taylor." He motioned for her to follow him with his free hand as he disappeared into the TARDIS behind her.

Evy glanced over at the woman the Doctor had introduced as Martha Jones. Martha noticed Evy's glance and smiled. She walked over and extended a hand.

"Martha Jones. 'Course, you probably figured that out by now."

Evy smiled tentatively back. As much as she was apprehensive about this whole crazy situation, she felt like she would like Martha, if she got to know her.

"Evy T-taylor." Evy cautiously took Martha's outstretched hand. The older woman shook it once.

"Hello, Evy. I know we just met, but if you don't mind me asking, why are you dressed like that?" Evy glanced down at her outfit and blushed slightly.

"It's my sixteenth tonight, and my bestie wanted to enjoy the party." She pointed at Vertigo, from which music and rancous laughter was still blaring. "This was the most conservative thing I could get her to agree to."

Martha chuckled. "God, you are young. She sounds like a force to be reckoned with, your friend."

Evy smiled in return. "Oh, she is. Believe me, she is."

The Doctor could hear Martha talking to the girl -what was her name? Evy, that was it- outside the TARDIS. And he was glad. He leaned heavily on the console, trying not to think about the other girl she so deeply resembled.

Rose was gone, but it seemed like he would never be able to escape the loss and pain remembering her meant.

That girl- she looked so much like Rose. When he'd first seen her, half hidden in shadow, he had been filled with impossible hope- and belief that it was his Rose. But then she had stepped out into the light, and he had been shocked back into reality.

She wasn't Rose. She was another person so like her, even he had been fooled. But he couldn't dwell on his loss- not right now.

He straightened and went over to the TARDIS doors, poking his head out.

"Oi! You two coming?"

Martha disappeared into the TARDIS quickly after the Doctor had called, but Evy hesitated slightly. The TARDIS doors almost seemed to represent a crossroad, a very important one in her life. If she chose to follow those two through them, her life would never be quite the same.

She could follow them, or she could walk away.

_No. I made my decision. It's time to get out of ordinary._

She took a deep breath and walked through the TARDIS's blue door. The sight that greeted her was like one of her dreams come to life.

"Oh," she breathed. "It's beautiful."

* * *

**And there we go! Evy has met her dad and Martha. It was kind of awkward, but then, I didn't plan out this dialogue very well. Don't worry, Evy will join the TARDIS crew by the end of this 'episode' but she will earn it. And next chapter, or the one after that, we'll have some more serious Evy/Ross action. **

**Also, my original adventure is going to be called 'Queen of the Sea'. Basically Evy is mistaken for a missing soon-to-be-married princess and while the Doctor and Martha try to rescue her, Evy has to find out who took the princess and why. That'll be a separate companion piece to this one, but it'll go up later. **


	13. Beginning

**Well, this wasn't the easiest chapter to write! It took me forever to do this- I just couldn't get the plot to come. Well, good news, next chapter we get our aliens and some Ross/Evy action. I now have 103 followers- go figure! Anyway, am I getting the Doctor right? And Martha? **

**Read and review, my 103 followers! I love each and every one of you!**

_**Song- Fields of Gold by Eva Cassidy**_

* * *

Evy's eyes were wide with awe and wonder. She had grown up hearing stories about the TARDIS from her mum, of course, told with a surprising remembrance of detail. And yes, she had seen this room, vaguely, in her dreams of long ago adventures. But this, as she saw it, clear and firsthand, was beyond imagination. Rose's stories hadn't lied; if anything, her colorful description of the console room had fallen far short of the reality.

The console room consisted of a circular area, with a ramp leading from the doors to a hexagonal platform, encircled with railings that were draped with coats. On the platform was a second, circular platform, on which rested the actual console, from which the column of the time rotor climbed elegantly upwards. The entire room was supported by six sinuously curved coral pillars that met with the top of the time rotor at the room's ceiling. Several large, thick black wires hung from the ceiling to connect to the column of the time rotor.

Hexagonal impressions covered the walls; some of them emitting light that helped illuminate the slightly dim area. However, the main source of illumination was the soft green glow of the time rotor, which, in Evy's opinion, gave the whole room an almost welcoming air.

There was a slight suggestion of a warm chuckle in her mind- the same voice from before. She shivered involuntarily and brushed the sensation of outside consciousness aside.

The console centered around the time rotor in a roughly hexagonal shape; that, too, along with the dozens of instruments on it, gave off its own glow. Across from the console was a seat she assumed was supposed to be the captain's.

"Beautiful," she said again, mostly to herself.

The Doctor, who had slipped on a pair of glasses and was currently standing next to the console fiddling with her latest U.N.I.T project, looked up at her and grinned.

"I certainly like to think so," he said, "But most people start with 'it's bigger on the inside'."

Evy smiled- a bit shyly- back. "I heard stories. They always mention the- that part, but they never described this."

The Doctor smiled and turned back to Martha and his exploration of her latest UNIT project. Evy cautiously walked closer. Feeling awkward and self-conscious, she let her eyes wander over the console itself while she waited for one of them to address her.

The console incorporated many odds and ends, including something that looked suspiciously like a bicycle pump, buttons, levers, and hundreds of flashing lights. There was a monitor on the console that displayed circular symbols on a blue background, with sticky notes stuck all around the frame.

It was a bit much to take in, even- no, especially- since she had accepted this as real. She heard the Doctor chattering in a low tone of voice to Martha, who Evy assumed was his Companion, now that her mum was gone. She closed her eyes, letting herself drift along with the tide of events.

"YES! Oh, yes!"

Evy's eyes snapped open. The Doctor had opened the communication device and extracted a bundle of wires and something that looked like a large laptop battery, except it was coated in a dull silver material. Now, with both of those items within reach, he was currently dancing around the console, flipping switches with a maniac grin.

"Dare I ask what you did?" Martha said dryly, with a smile that undermined her sarcasm. Evy smiled at her humor.

The Doctor glanced up at her, still grinning. "I was able to find what was causing the power generation in Evy's fine construction and, since I am a genius, I realized that it was connected to an energy transfer. Therefore, since I have enormous intellectual skill and creativity, I can trace the energy transmission to where it's being sent."

"So- someone is using this- _thing_ to convert energy and then send it somewhere?" Martha asked.

The Doctor continued to grin, turning back to the monitor. "Yep. And if we follow the energy trace this leaves, we can find where this person is sending it to, and why."

Evy watched them, and spoke up as she picked through the remnants of the device.

"Yeah, that's all very well, but this-" she indicated her project, which was now spread out in pieces over the TARDIS console "-was only supposed to be a self-powered GPS communicator. Not a generator. It's built from scavenged parts, but- well, it can't have gone wrong that badly."

The Doctor's grin faded, and became a more serious expression. He walked over from the monitor to where Evy stood, still a little self-conscious. Martha followed a little behind him. Evy watched intently as the Doctor picked up the silver battery and turned it over in his hands before holding it up.

"This," he said calmly, "Is a Chronal Energizer. Normally, you'd find this on a couple of planets near the Andromeda galaxy- pretty common there, actually. But, anyway, basically what it does is generate a certain type of energy, one that the Chrona use to power their spacecraft. It distills this energy from other forms, such as-"

He replaced the silver Chronal Energizer on the console and picked up another object, this one medium sized, black, and blocky.

"Kinetic energy. This handy little thing-"

He waved around the black block. "- is a Kinetic Converter. It makes battery power from the energy of its motion. Now, I'm guessing that this one-"

Again, he waved the black block. "-was supposed to be part of your GPS communicator. Am I right?"

Evy nodded, listening raptly to his explanation. "Yes. I was the one who put it in there. But you still haven't said why that energizer thing is in my device."

"Be patient! I'm getting there! So, you have your kinetic converter in here to keep the batteries for the device powered up. But the Chronal Energizer acts like a parasite- it's stealing all the energy the Kinetic Converter makes before it can reach the batteries."

Evy's mouth formed an O of suprise. "So that's why it never worked! There wasn't any power!"

"Exactly. But, as I am a genius, I can use this-" he held up the bundle of wires "- to trace where all that stolen power is being sent!"

He dashed over to the monitor, reading the circular symbols that were displayed there.

"Oh. That's odd."

"What is?" Martha asked, coming around beside him, staring at the symbols she couldn't possibly read. Evy watched impassively, concealing her growing excitement. Really, this was almost exactly like her mother's stories.

"The energy- it's being transferred to a U.N.I.T outbuilding."

"So? How is that odd? This UNIT built this thing, didn't it? So how would it be odd that the power it generates is going to them?" Martha asked.

"Yes, Martha, but UNIT has plenty of power. They don't need any more. And, even if they did, why would they hide their generator in a communication device?"

Evy broke in. "And why put it together in secret? I practically built that thing, and I have never seen that silver energizer thing in my life."

The Doctor met Evy's eyes across the console. "That, Evelyna Taylor," he said slowly, " Is a very good question."

"Then how are we going to answer it, Doctor?" Martha asked, with a slightly amused tone of voice.

"We're gonna have to make another visit to UNIT." He stood up from the console, and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "Oh, I _really_ don't want to land the TARDIS there."

"Why?" Martha asked curiously. "I thought you said you used to work for them."

He shrugged. "Questions. I don't like answering questions, and if the TARDIS is spotted, then we'll be answering loads." He sighed, and reached for the monitor to send the TARDIS to UNIT. "Oh, well. I suppose it won't kill me to make a detour."

"Wait, Doctor." Evy called, halting the Doctor's action. He and Martha looked up. Evy was grinning mischievously, and dangling her cell phone from her right hand. "You want a way in without being spotted? I've got one."

Her grin widened as the Doctor smiled back.

#

Ross had been dozing fitfully when his phone rang. Groggily, he answered it on the second ring, hoping, somewhere in his fuzzy mind, that it had something to do with Evy.

The sound of her voice was like a beacon that penetrated the thick fog in his head.

"Ross. Your hunch was right."

Almost instantly, he was up and awake.

"What do you need me to do, Evy?"

"I-We need to get into the A4 outbuilding. Something' s in there- it's stealing power. We-"

"Don't worry, Evy. You don't need to convince me. As long as you aren't dealing drugs or something, I'll always help you. Alright?"

He heard her breathe in a sigh of slight relief. "Thank you, Ross. I'll meet you there."

"I'll be there in fifteen. I'll get all of you in, I promise."

"Thank you. And-Ross?" There was a nervousness in her voice- he wondered what for. Something unspoken and heavy hovered in the conversation.

"Yes?"

"Nothing. I'll tell you when I see you."


	14. Lift

**Hello, everyone. I apologize for the long gap- but my muse decided to take an unscheduled vacation in Hawaii. And she just reappeared. Annoying little- **_**eep! No! Indigo, I didn't mean it!**_** Yes, Indigo is defiantly back. **_**Rubs bruises**_**. And so am I. So, here is my fourteenth chapter- It's an extra good one- or at least I think so- to make up for my absence. I'll try and have the next chapter done by midnight tomorrow, and then it's into transcripts! Finally! Evy can get into her sarcastic humor instead of me working frantically on original plots.**

**Enjoy, and Review!**

_**Song- I'm With You by Avril Lavine**_

* * *

Evy sat on a bench as she waited. The night had quieted- as much as London was ever _quiet_. It was about fifteen minutes after midnight- and she waited patiently for the one she expected.

The Tower loomed over her seat, lights reflected on the dark, mirror-like river. She breathed quietly, huddling into her borrowed coat for warmth. It may have been spring, but Britain was still bloody _cold_ at night. At least she wasn't shivering in her mini-skirt and hoodie. Martha had made sure of that.

"_Alright," the Doctor said, still grinning, "Who'd you call?"_

_Evy glanced quickly across the room at Martha before responding. "My- friend. He works at UNIT on the night shift. If anyone can get us in easily and undetected, he can. He'll meet us there in fifteen minutes."_

"_Oh?" The Doctor said distractedly, already setting the coordinates. Evy felt a brief pang of something- was he supposed to be this callous?- when Martha stepped in._

"_What's his name?" The older woman asked._

"_Ross. Ross Jenkins. He used to work with me at UNIT, before he transferred."_

"_So- he wants you to wait for him?"_

_Evy nodded. _

"_At this time of night? In this weather? Wearing that!?"_

_Evy nodded again, throwing in an acidic comment. "Well, what else would I do?"_

_Martha rolled her eyes. "Teenagers." She seized Evy by the wrist and hauled her upright, mostly because of Evy's surprise. _

"_Doctor? Do we have a spare coat Evy could borrow? And maybe some jeans, too?" Martha asked pointedly as the Time Rotor began to move up and down, slowly. _

"_What? Oh- right. In the Wardrobe- the TARDIS'll show you the way."_

_Martha nodded, and dragged Evy behind her, who cast a longing glance over her shoulder at the Time Rotor and the disappearing console room._

Evy smiled, a little mockingly, to herself. She'd been so entranced by the console room and the faint song it had provided in her head that she'd been unwilling to leave, even to see more of the ship. She shifted uncomfortably, finding a place where the jeans (also borrowed and several sizes to big for her slim frame) she was wearing chafed on her legs.

Still, though, uncomfortable as they were, the borrowed jeans and coat were much warmer than her previous attire would have been. And the detour to the wardrobe had allowed her to ease another potential guilty thought-

_Evy found herself in an enormous, three story, circular room, absolutely filled to the brim with clothes, all hung and organized neatly on racks. This was the TARDIS wardrobe, apparently. _

_Bewildered, she reached for the clothes laid out on the ottoman in front of her. As she held the jeans up against her, checking the fit, her wrist brushed against a large bump in the pocket of her denim skirt. _

_Reminded of the real world- the one she had so immediately forgotten- she laid the jeans aside and pulled out her phone, and stared at it, almost uncomprehendingly. Then she realized herself. She glanced around, guilty, wary that Martha or the Doctor might hear. Swiftly, she located an inconspicuous, out of the way corner, screened by several racks of clothing. Gathering up her own pile of clothes, she quickly relocated. _

_The first order of business- Max. Evy left a short, almost brusque message on her friend's phone._

"_Max- I don't have a lot of time, okay? I just wanted to tell you- I'm alright; you're just- not going to see me for a while, probably. Thanks for taking me to the club- you did me a favor that you probably couldn't begin to understand." Pause. " I found the one I was looking for. I might be going with him- I might not. But- if I suddenly disappear or something- don't worry. Just- avoid my mother for a while, alright?" A weak laugh, and Evy ended her message._

_Now just the hard part. _

_Evy's hand shook a little as she dialed the number of their flat. If she was right, there was no telling when she would be coming back- and something told her she would not see her mother, or London, for a very long time. As the phone went to dial tone, she left a message without waiting for a reply. _

"_Mum- It's Evy. 'Course, you probably figured that." She paused, trying to find the words. "I just- I'm alright. I just need to tell you that- I'm probably going to be- absent- for a while." Another pause. " I found him, mum, can you believe that?" Weak laugh. "Me, who never looked for him a day in my life."_

"_As- as impossible as this is; I'm in his ship. Right now. It's wonderful, mum; even more than your stories."_

"_I haven't told him yet- he doesn't know. I think- that you should. When he sees you again."_

"_I don't know when I'll be back- I remember about his bad driving." Another weak laugh. "I'm sorry for lying about the club- really." Evy lapsed, unable to speak for a moment. "I love you, mum. I love you."_

_She hung up, feeling somehow empty and yet free._

A light hand touched her shoulder, breaking her chain of glanced up, to find Ross leaning over her. Their eyes met and locked- brilliant, challenging blue on soft, warm amber-green.

"Hey." He said softly, breaking the silence as he sat down next to her. "You alright?"

Evy smiled vaguely, continuing to focus on the changing reflections of the swirling black river. "'M fine. I'm always fine."

Ross reached out, hesitantly at first, and gathered her onto his side in a warm hug. Evy leaned her head on his shoulder, continuing to gaze out at the water. He held her, not bothering to speak- just enjoying their moment of mutual closeness and warmth.

Evy stirred a little against his shoulder- shifting her body into a more comfortable position. "Martha and the Doctor are out lookin' for you. I told them you'd know where to find me- guess they didn't believe me." She smiled, in an amused sort of way.

He looked down at her, and loosened his hold. "So." He sighed. "Back to business. Always when we're alone."

Evy straightened, and allowed herself a sigh that echoed Ross's. "Yes."

Ross made as if to stand up- but Evy quickly twined her fingers in his, and stood up with him. "Ross- I'm not promising anything, but-"

Whatever Evy was about to say was quickly cut off by a loud-

"OI! There you are!"

Evy and Ross jumped apart, having not realized they had gotten so close to one another. However, their fingers remained entwined.

Evy was instantly once again the slightly shy and impudent teenager she had been with the Doctor, instead of the much older and wearied girl she had been just seconds before.

"Which one?" She called back to the Doctor, who was almost- but not quite- stalking up the street, long coat streaming out behind him, Martha beside.

Mindful of their entwined fingers, she and Ross walked over to meet them.

"Ah- Doctor, Martha; this is the friend I told you about. He'll get us in."

Ten minutes later, with Ross's ID card and help avoiding the guards, the group of four stood outside a moderately sized warehouse, with the designation A-6 painted in white on the side and front of the building.

The Doctor fiddled with the sonic for a moment. "Yes. This is it- this is where that energy is coming from." He turned back to face the group. "Ross, could you give me that ID?"

Ross handed it over silently, his eyes focused inscrutably on Evy's face.

About thirty seconds after he did so, the door unlocked and popped open.

"Yes!" the Doctor exclaimed, tucking the sonic away and passing the ID back to Ross. "Come on; Martha, Evy." Intrepid as ever, he strode confidently into the dark interior of the storage area. Martha followed on his heels- perhaps a bit more cautiously.

Evy turned toward the dark space in between the door and the unlit interior. She hesitated, unsure, her mind imagining all of the horrible things and aliens that could be hiding in that darkness. Evy may not have ever been on a raid or mission herself- Rose, Mickey, and all of the UNIT officials in charge of her 'safety' violently objected every time she tried to suggest it- but she had seen all of the aftermath back at base.

She took a deep breath, turning away the dark images her mind had conjured, and began to walk into the darkness.

A hand caught her wrist and made her pause. She turned around to see Ross holding her wrist, preventing her from continuing.

"What, Ross?" Evy said, a bit more irritably than she'd intended.

"Evy- can I ask you- Well-"

Evy smiled a little at his inability to say what he meant. "Just spit it out, Ross."

Next time we see each other- would you like to go out, somewhere? With me?" He choked the words out, and when he had finished, actually seemed mildly embarrassed.

Evy looked at him for a moment, surprised.

"Are you actually asking me out?"

"Yeah." He swallowed nervously. "Yeah, I think I am."

"Now?"

He smiled. "Duty before pleasure, right? Not my fault I can't seem to be able to ask you out anywhere else."

She smiled back. "Well- In that case, yes. When I see you next." Evy once again turned to follow the Doctor and Martha.

"Wait!" Ross called. Evy once again faced him, surprised. Gently, Ross pulled her a little closer to him.

And then he leaned in, sort of shyly, and kissed her. Not a casual kiss, like they had shared before, but a real, deep kiss, one Evy found herself reciprocating. His arms started to embrace her, to pull her closer, into him, and hers pulled him closer to her. Suddenly, to Evy, the world seemed to melt down to just her and Ross. For all the kiss's initial shyness, somewhere behind it, for both of them, there was real, deep passion-

"Evy? You coming?"

Quickly, almost guiltily, they separated.

"Give me a sec," she called back.

The two looked at one another. Softly, Ross kissed Evy again on the lips.

"I think we're going to have to finish this later, Evelyna Tyler." He smiled humorously. " So just promise-" Evy put a finger on his lips.

"No promises- I learned my lesson from my parents. A promise in my family is a vow the universe stops at nothing to break." She smiled sadly. "But for the record, Ross Jenkins, we will finish this. Eventually."

"Stay safe."

"Always. For you." Evy let his hand fall, and turned and ran into the building. She glanced back over her shoulder only once.

Ross watched her until she disappeared into the blackness. Heaving a sigh, he turned and went to find his car.

#

Evy blinked in the dark. She couldn't see well, exactly, but she could see well enough to make her way around.

"Doctor?" she said questioningly into the not-quite-blackness. "Martha?"

"We're over here, Evy. Martha-"

Evy could see, faintly, a shadow on shadow outline of a hand being extended. She took it, and felt much more secure knowing the location of the others.

"Now," the Doctor continued, "There should be light switch around here somewhere, shouldn't there?"

"Three feet from the door on the left." Evy answered automatically. She hadn't ever been in one of the storage units, but the lights were always in the same places in UNITs large buildings. It saved a lot of fumbling in the dark.

There was some shuffling, before a loud _click _announced that the Doctor had found the switch, and the area was flooded with light.

Evy blinked at the sudden brightness, and rubbed at her eyes with one hand, trying to erase the red dots that had appeared in her vision. Next to her, Martha was doing the same.

"Ow!" Martha glared at the Doctor. "That hurt!"

"Oi! The lights aren't my fault!"

"Both of you! Stop it! We've got bigger problems than the lights!" Evy shouted at both of them, as she stared at what had caught her eye. Both the Doctor and Martha, caught in surprise by her outburst, turned to see what she was looking at.

A large spaceship, shaped roughly like a crescent and made of a glossy, reflective black material reminiscent of obsidian, sat at the end of the room.

"Now, there we go," The Doctor said, grinning like a maniac. He grabbed Martha's hand.

"Let's go meet Evy's new neighbors!" Then, as if remembering Evy, he turned to her, still grinning.

"Last chance to head for home."

"I'm not even to dignify that with a response," Evy said, moving up next to them. "What did you think I was going to do? Run screaming out the door? I'm not gonna leave 'cause some aliens show up."

The Doctor's eyes darkened for a moment, with some deep anger or pain.

"What?" Evy asked, worried that she had said something offensive.

"Nothing. You just- remind me of someone," The Doctor said, the expression of agony gone from his eyes. "Let's go meet the neighbors, then, shall we?"

* * *

**A/N: Fanfiction Readers, how would you feel if Evy did not end up with Ross, eventually? Not that I'm going to kill him off- or maybe I will- but I'm just getting vibes that their relationship wouldn't work, as lovers. It's more Mickey and Rose, in the sense that Rose moved beyond Mickey when she began to travel with the Doctor. Mickey was, throughout his time in the series, inferior to Rose. I just feel that as Evy matures through her travels, that the same thing would happen to her and Ross. Plus, Evy is half time lord, and therefore would have a much longer life- and stay younger- than Ross. It would be like Rose-the-Bad-Wolf trying to stay with Mickey-the-Human. I just don't feel that it would work long enough to be a healthy romantic relationship. But what do you think? **


	15. Valiant

**Sorry, this took me longer than anticipated to type up. (Damn AP homework!) But here it is. More cliff hangers. But one more chapter and Evy is off with the TARDIS. Yay! The funny words are Latin- if you want to know the conversation, pop them into Google Translate and you should be fine. In a few days, I should have a completely translated copy with correct punctuation and all, so if you want that, PM me later in the week and I'll be glad to send it to you. Have a good start of school, and review. **

_**Song ~ One Engine by The Decemberists**_

* * *

Evy followed in Martha and the Doctor's wake as they walked toward the aircraft. The Doctor knocked on the silver underbelly of the ship, creating a sharp pinging sound that echoed through the cavernous hangar.

He waited impatiently for about a minute, and when no answer was forthcoming, knocked again.

"Come on, new neighbors! We only want to welcome you to the neighborhood!" He called out to the ship.

Evy snorted with laughter. That was more like the Doctor her mother had told her about. He looked ridiculous, with a patently false expression of eagerness and naiveté on his face.

He looked back and winked cheekily at her, grinning. Evy grinned back at him, but, as she did so, the smile on his face melted instantaneously into the mask she had met him with.

She blushed, confused, and looked down at the floor to conceal the pink in her cheeks.

_What did I do wrong?_

When she looked back up, he had turned away again, fiddling with a nearly invisible panel on the ship, near where he had knocked . Martha flashed Evy a look of sympathy- sympathy mixed with jealousy. Evy met Martha's hard eyes, then looked away, unnerved by the woman's probing stare.

Martha blinked, and, realizing she was being rude, looked away as well.

Meanwhile, the Doctor had popped open a nearly invisible control panel in the ship's hull, and was currently manipulating the circuitry, muttering what Evy suspected were curses under his breath as he tried to get the door to open.

After a few more minutes and extensive use of the sonic screwdriver, an oblong panel of opaque sliver material receded back into the ship's hull, revealing a doorway.

"Aha! There we go!" the Doctor said, tucking the sonic back into his jacket pocket. "Let's go find out what's going on." He walked over to the oval door.

"Well, come on then!" He said to Martha and Evy, when they both remained in place, Martha with her arms crossed stubbornly and Evy shifting uneasily from foot to foot.

"_Well_, before I follow you into the alien mothership, you do have a plan if something goes wrong, _right_?"

Evy bit her lip and looked down to keep from smiling. _Oh, Martha. __**If **__something goes wrong? Something always goes wrong, or so I've been told. _

"Sort of. But it's all worked out so far, hasn't it?" The Doctor answered her, with no inflection in his voice.

Martha rolled her eyes, but uncrossed her arms. "Sort of, he says." She muttered to herself as she followed the Doctor into the door.

Evy looked back up, just as the Doctor disappeared into the blackness and Martha stepped behind to follow. Evy hesitated a moment- who was she to be jumping into one of the Doctor's adventures, acting like a Companion, jumping into the unknown?

And then the fiery will Evy had inherited from her mother kicked in. _I'm his daughter, that's who, _she thought, and plunged into the blackness.

She was blind- the blackness was all engulfing. Blindly, she stumbled, trying to seek a way out. Muffled and distorted sounds swirled up to her sensitive ears without a source, disorientating her further in the darkness. Incomprehensible whispers laced through her ears- or her mind.

That was a shock- as much a shock as the golden, clear voice had been. More- because there were more voices.

All of her senses seemed to have been enhanced by the lack of sight- including those from her _other_ parent- those not human, which before came and went, capricious as the wind.

_All of your senses- so try and feel your way out, stupid!_

Feeling rather foolish, both about her lack of thinking and at the thought of how she must look, Evy reached her arms out to get a sense of her position. Her left hand hit a wall of cool stone- scraping several fingers as she did so. She gasped slightly at the unexpected pain, but kept on.

Her right hand, though, felt something soft and warm and wonderful feeling under it. It felt like a cross between the hefty satin drapes first Jackie had hung in the library of Pete's house and the memory she had of a bat's wing. She rubbed it, enjoying the feel, and felt it give way to her touch. Then her hand felt it sway back under her fingertips.

So it was some sort of cloth.

She pushed against the fabric, trying to find a path through. The stuff was much heavier than First Jackie's drapes, but Evy managed to get it to move enough for her to slip beyond and into-

Light!

Bright, blinding light, as much blinding as the darkness had been. She squeezed her watering eyes shut as the pupils painfully dilated to suit. But when she opened them again, the sight that greeted her was terrifying.

A tall, faceless, roughly human-shaped figure towered above her- and it was pointing some sort of spear-thing at her chest. Over her heart, to be precise. The bigger one. She swallowed convulsively, the blood draining from her face.

_Now is not when I want to find out if I can regenerate!_

She swallowed again, never taking her eyes off the sharp spear tip. "Um- Hello?"

"Qui estis?! Navis conscendit quomodo fiat!?" The foreign words boomed above her head. Evy tried not to cower beneath the deep voice, and dared a glance up at the alien before her.

What she had assumed to be faceless was, in fact, a helmet. A helmet that was part of an elaborate suit of armor- an opalescent hue of blue so deep it was nearly black. Evy quickly returned her gaze to the spear still aimed at her heart. She shook her head to indicate that she could not understand.

_Clearly, the TARDIS translation circuit needs time to kick in. _

A heavy tromping interrupted her snarky self-commentary, and the spear over her heart disappeared.

"Take her to the others. The Great One will decide what to do with them."* Translate

Evy found herself seized from behind by strong hands, one on each arm. Glancing to each side, she saw that two more copies of the first alien- were they guards?- on either side of her, arm in one hand, spear in the other.

The two guards dragged her- literally dragged her, before her feet caught up- off down a side hall she hadn't seen before. They walked quickly, taking her to some unknown destination- probably where Martha and the Doctor were.

Despite her fear, Evy was captivated by the spacecraft. Other than the general lines of the place, the craft's interior wasn't very 'Star Trek' at all. Soft drapes covered both walls, and occasionally mirror-like surfaces peeked through. It was lit by a soft light from lamps in the ceiling- a cross between the softness of candlelight and the steadiness of a normal electric bulb.

Along the hall- she couldn't tell how far- the guards stopped. One let go of her right arm to pull a swag of drapery away from a door made of opaque glasslike material. He unlocked it with something she didn't see- and then she was shoved through.

She stumbled over something hard, and nearly hit the floor before she managed to catch herself, landing on her knees instead of her face.

"Ow!" Evy cried indignantly back at the now closed door. "That hurt!"

When there was no answer, she turned back to the room and used a table- what she'd tripped over- to help her get to her feet.

The room they had been tossed into was hardly uncomfortable. There was a couch against one wall, and several comfortable looking armchairs scattered about the room. Everything, however, was arranged around an enormous polished wood table.

"Rather nice for a prison cell," she mused, out loud.

"It's not a prison cell. " Evy looked over to see the Doctor sprawled over one of the armchairs, near Martha who sat rigidly on the edge of the couch.

"Oh? We're locked in, away from anything we could use to escape. Seems like a cell to me. A rather nice cell, though." Evy said, remembering…

"How would you know? D'you make a habit of ending up in cells?"

_No, I was kidnapped three times and thrown into three different ones._

Evy didn't answer, though. However, apparently her silence was enough to pique the Doctor's curiosity. She saw the question beginning to form on his lips, and quickly looked away, at the source of the throbbing in her foot to avoid it.

The Doctor shut his mouth with an almost audible snap as Evy bent down to check her ankle.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. Just a bruise." Evy pushed the cuff of her borrowed jeans back down and plopped down on the couch next to Martha.

"Well- as I was saying. This isn't a prison cell."

"Oh?" Martha spoke up for the first time. "Then what is it?"

"Negotiation's room, I'd say."

"Yeah? And why would aliens have a negotiation room on their spaceship?!" Martha said, in a doubtful and slightly sarcastic voice.

The Doctor looked almost affronted. "Because they're ambassadors. Really, Martha-"

Whatever the Doctor was going to say was cut off by the opening of the door. All six eyes in the room snapped to it, to watch as a guard entered. He was identical to the first two, but Evy couldn't tell if he was one of them or not. The armor that all of them had worn made it _very_ hard to tell.

As soon as the door swung shut behind him, the Doctor's mouth was off and running.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this? We've done nothing wrong! Well- besides sneak about your ship. Well- And we did steal your power source. But other than that-"

"Doctor," Martha whispered. "You're not helping!"

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

Then the guard spoke.

"Quod de te est fortis?!"

"Valiant?" The Doctor answered. "There's no one here called that. Look! I'm the Doctor, this is Martha and that's Evy. No Valiant."

Evy felt a child go through her, all the way up her spine, and she shivered. Valiant- her code name- what the golden voice had called her-

"Respondere! Dic Excelsum velit!" The guard said angrily.

"I told you! No one here is called Valiant!" The Doctor yelled back. Martha and Evy both looked at him, confused and unable to understand the language that their captors were speaking.

The guard looked like he was about to thunder back, when another person entered the room. This one was obviously male- and looked almost human. Only his ears- high and pointed at the tips- and his eyes, heavily slanted and large, marked him as an alien. He was dressed in soft blue and green robes, and by the gray in his hair, was quite old.

But his voice was still strong.

"Subsidunt, Armati. Loquar cum eis." He said calmly to the guard, though the phrase was clearly a command, even to Evy and Martha.

"Sed, Maximum unus ..." the guard protested, now looking very young.

"Subsidunt. Sunt exhibere non periculum. Discere observare ante minaris! Non potes videre duobus verbis comprehendere et medici non audisti?" The older one said, his tone commanding and shaming.

"Sic, Maximum unus. Ut vis." The guard said, now looking completely deflated.

The old man looked over them all, managing to draw them all to look his clearly in the eye. He smiled at Martha, who relaxed. When he met the Doctor's eyes, his widened and he blinked. Then he nodded, almost imperceptibly. Respectfully, Evy thought.

"Viator. Bonum est te. Sicut et ego loquar vobiscum, me autem loqui fortes. Sciendum est multum. Quod erat Ego te volui per esse hic. Si forte tu adjuves nos? Cum esset navis frangatur ingruat, quem frustra reficere. Gratissimum, si nos essemus in via possent."

Now the Doctor looked surprised. "Of course I'll help you. But who what is this 'Valiant' you all keep mentioning?"

"What? What's he saying?" Martha asked.

"Gratias ago tibi, viator."

Then he looked at Evy.

She was caught in the deep, endless gaze of his eyes. She didn't want to look away- she couldn't. But she was still terrified- and then the eyes let her go.

The old one looked as though he was an archaeologist who had just stumbled on Atlantis.

"Deam Id est vos! Vos estis puella Fortis!" He breathed, eyes never leaving her face. Evy stepped back, her terror intensifying.

"But what is the Valiant?!" the Doctor pressed intensely.

The old one looked back at him, eyes sharp and piercing.

"Ipsa est, Aurea Púerum-temporis filiam scriptor Dea ipsa. Ipsa est Domina de Universe-unus qui formabis universi scriptor fata quantum habes, hospes."

The Doctor looked pale. "Gold- Time- Golden child-" he muttered to himself.

The old one came closer to Evy, who tried to hold onto some of her courage as she stood straight and defiant.

He chuckled. "Your defiance will serve you well. Come with me, child. I will not harm you."

And then he turned to the guard.

"Armand Sume comitem medicum pontem, ut ille determinet imperium. Mittam puerum cum his perficiantur."

"Etiam, Maximum unum." The guard replied, bowing his head in respect.

The old one took Evy's limp hand in his own.

"Travelers; Armand-" he indicated the guard with a nod of his head "- will escort you to the bridge. I will send your Evy to join you when we are done. I will not harm her, you have my solemn promise."

With that, he began to lead Evy out of the room.

Martha's head jerked up, and she jumped to her feet, as if to stop him. "But where are you taking her-" she tried to demand.

But the Doctor got there first.

" This is a mistake! Evy is not your Valiant! Where are you taking her?! Who are you?! Awnser me!"

The old one turned around, by now on the other side of the open door.

"I am Sapientissimus, of the Chrona. I will not harm her, Doctor. But, as I told you, she and I must speak."

And with that, Sapientissimus swept out of the room with Evy, leaving the door to slam shut ominously behind him, and leaving behind a very worried and confused Doctor.

* * *

**Cliffie!**

**Sorry about that- not really- but, as always, leave a review. Please? **

**Wings**


	16. Free

**Yes! Longest Chapter EVER! 4,163 words, and Evy is finally on board the TARDIS! **

**I apologize for taking so long, but I've had some family and relationship issues- as well as inspiration issues! **

**News Update- I now have a beta for this fiction- VioletK. She has done a great job so far on critiquing her first chapter of mine, and I am very grateful for her suggestions. Also, Daleks in Manhattan is next- hopefully it will be a faster write. **

**Btw, isn't Season 7 going great? My fav episode so far is Dinosaurs on a Spaceship- I just love the idea. But I do wish they would go back to having a regular timeline, instead of this months-between-adventures thing. **

**One final piece of information- my friend, Sir Bookworm, has recently published a fiction about all Eleven doctors- plus the new, yet unseen Companion. If you have time, please read it. She is one of my writing advisors and good friends- and I would be grateful to you for doing so. **

**Thanks, and on with the chapter!**

_**Song~ It Ends Tonight by The All American Rejects**_

Sapientissimus lead her down corridor after corridor, each of them decorated in a different shade. The deeper they went into the interior of the ship, the more complex and beautiful the colors became. After a while, it all began to blur in her mind- an incomprehensible rainbow of vivid, living color.

Sea blue, regal purple, and emerald green; crimson red, fiery orange, and earthy yellow; velvet black and smoky gray, shining silver and rich gold. The very colors of this place were disorienting- they were deep and rich like nothing she'd seen before. Their intensity drew her in and made her head swim.

At last, after what seemed like an eternity, they stopped in front of one particular swag of drapery. Evy failed to notice anything particular about it- but then she was too out of it to notice much of anything.

Sapien pulled the drape aside to reveal a doorway, mirrored and set into one of the larger mirrors Evy had glanced before. Evy stared at it, caught by the reflection of the hall.

"Mmmn." She said blissfully. "Pretty."

Sapien might have chuckled as he opened the door and gently pushed Evy into the room beyond the door. Evy wasn't the first to be taken in by the intensity of the Chrona's colors. It had that drugging effect on most people and species. The Chrona themselves were affected by it, though not to the degree that many others were.

Softly, he closed the door behind them, leaving the concealing swag of drape to replace itself. Quickly, he went to a small table in the middle of the room, near the door, and poured a cup of amber colored liquid from a glass carafe placed there.

Going back to the still blissed out Evy, he handed her the cup.

"Drink it," he said firmly. "It will help clear your head."

Evy looked carefully at him with glazed eyes, before she took the cup and drained the contents, and gasped. Liquid fire burned its way down her throat and into her stomach, clearing away the fog in her head.

She blinked, finally able to think clearly and precisely. "What-" she began, but was interrupted by her guide.

"Spare your questions, if you will, child, for our time is short. Sit. There is much we must discuss here, and we have far too short a time to do so."

He motioned toward a low couch like platform covered with jewel toned pillows and cushions. Evy sat, even more bewildered than she had been in her color-induced haze. Sapientissimus lowered himself to sit with boneless grace. Evy opened her mouth to ask a question- then shut it firmly.

The corner of Sapien's mouth turned up a bit. "I won't keep you in ignorance about myself and my purpose here, child. I am Sapientissimus, High One and Ambassador of the Chrona. Now, what that amounts to is a position of respect among my people, rather like what your cultures would term an 'Elder'."

Evy got her voice working again. "And your mission?"

He smiled wryly. "Another question- I'd forgotten how many you younglings ask. You all seem to hold an endless reservoir of them. "

Evy stared at him impatiently, and he continued, with an amused expression.

"But I digress. My mission here is simple. Our Goddess, the _Aureus Domina Tempus_, sent us here. She told us of you- or what you will become. And she charged us to warn you of the dangers of the path you must tread, _Fortier_."

Evy replaced the crystal cup she still held on the table with a click, and rubbed her temples with her free hand, trying to stave off a headache. "I don't understand. You think I'm some sort of–prophetess? Like in the bible and all those fantasies I read? 'The one who was foretold'?"

She stared at Sapien in open disbelief. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm just- me. Normal as possible. I don't know your Goddess Aureus so and so, and I couldn't even hope to be what you seem to think I am if I did."

She made as if to get to her feet, but Sapien's green eyes pinned her where she stood. "_Aureus Domina Tempus_, in your language, translates to the Golden Lady of Time. This name is unique to us, so far as we know, but in our studies we have found other goddesses, in other worlds. All of these tie into this generalization. I would not expect you to know them- these names are scattered far and wide across the cosmos, hidden deep within the weave of the fabric that is the universe. But the most recent- and by far the most prevalent- is one that I think you will recognize. The _Malus Lupus_."

"Bad Wolf," Evy found herself whispering, a shudder of recognition going through her. She had never heard those words outside of the children's story- read to her in preschool, since, for whatever reason, Rose shunned the book- but she knew, in the core of her being, that those words represented something deep, ancient, and powerful. And she also knew, as the two simple words struck echoing chords within the deepest part of her soul, that she was intrinsically bound with what they represented.

"Yes," Sapien answered her whisper. "You feel it. We have searched for you long and hard, Valiant- _Fortier_. Those of the Goddess say that you are the child of powerful forces- forces who others have sought and failed to master."

"But- I'm just a teenager. I'm no one special- I'm just Evy."

If Sapien's eyes had pierced her before, they now seemed to stare directly into her soul.

"We both know that isn't true; Child of Time, Lady of Gallifrey. You may deny it to others, hide it from the world, but the universe knew you were coming long before your Mother was born to be the love and savior of Time's Champion, before she dreamed of reaching for the power she was destined to command."

Evy stared back into Sapien's eyes, her fright returning as she looked into their endless emerald depths.

"So my whole life has been planned already, has it?" she said bitterly, trying to cover and mask her fear. "I'm nothing more than a toy for time to play with."

Sapien snorted. ''A toy, hardly. The Chrona cannot see into the future- that was the prerogative of the Lords of Time, however they squandered it. But we can trace the past. And if all that our scholars and researchers have gathered is true, you are the Valiant. The one who will lead the universe- but into what is up to you."

He glanced at a sand filled glass and silver sculpture that could have been some sort of hourglass and cursed.

"We are nearly out of time. There is much more you should know- but this is crucial. All of the legends of the Valiant speak of a riddle. Tell what I am about to say to you to no one but those who have proven their trust. Each legend- the Aureus' words are these. The Threefold Choice- Life, Love, and Devotion. Make of that what you will."

He glanced at the clock again, and sighed. "Our time together is gone. I will not meet you again, child- much will have changed when our paths cross once more. But remember what I have told you."

"You just contradicted yourself. You said you would never see me again- but then you said we would meet again. How-"

"Child, that is something I cannot discuss without endangering all of us, including those innocents outside the confines of this vessel. You will know what I mean when the time is right for you to know it."

He closed his eyes, as if exhausted.

"But-" Evy protested, rising to her feet.

"Go to your freinds, child. Your friend and father need you."

"How do you-?" Evy said in disbelief, then shut her mouth at Sapien's arched eyebrow. "Nevermind. I probably don't want to know."

Evy went- but she sneaked a glance back over her shoulder. A strange sense of foreboding loomed over her for a minute as she stared back at the Chrona Ambassador. Then, feeling thoroughly spooked, she shuddered and ran for, presumably, the control room.

How she managed to get there without getting lost was a mystery, but not oneEvy was inclined to ponder. She shivered beneath her jacket as she stepped into the control room.

It was sci-fi as the rest of the ship was not- full of gleaming metal, reflective black surfaces, and glowing lights, most of them flashing red.

And the Doctor was firmly ensconced in the chaos. With sonic in hand, he was working through the wires, scanning, replacing, and repairing.

He looked up as she came in. "Oh. You're back- they let you go. What-" He was going to say more, but a frantic beeping cut him off and he plunged back into the swamp of wires.

Martha, meanwhile, was standing at a large window, which displayed a vast star map superimposed on the view to the outside.

Evy stood in the door way, watching him work for a moment. Martha was leaning on a railing right before the map, and Evy walked over to join her. She silently passed the Doctor, who was firmly ensconced in his work, and sat on the rail next to Martha, tucking her feet under the lowest rung and gripping the top one with both hands for balance.

"Hello."

"Hi."

They stood in silence for several minutes, before Evy spoke.

"You travel with him long?" The question popped out of her and into the open. Martha looked at her with a blank, unreadable expression.

"No," She said, turning back to stare at the star map. "He only took me too a couple of places. We saw Shakespeare."

"Cool," Evy said, feeling the cool metal on her palms as she turned sideways on the rail. She shifted her weight to her left hand, raising the other to the screen. ''I've met people from- ah, here, I think-" she pointed to a tiny speck of a planet, orbiting around two stars. ''And here, here, and here. But I've never been anywhere. Not yet, at least."

Seemingly oblivious in his mess of wires, the Doctor's ears perked up.

"The only planet I've been to doesn't even exist yet. Even more, it was a copy of Earth. But I went to the moon."

"Royal Hope?"

Martha turned to look at her sharply. "How do you know that?!"

Evy brushed her long bangs out of her eyes and sighed. "I work for UNIT. I fix their junk and they give me and my mother a place to live." That wasn't really lying, Evy thought, just shading the truth a bit by omission.

Martha gave her a sympathetic look. "Must be hard," she said, "To live like that."

Evy shrugged. "I've got an ordinary enough life. It's happy, I guess, but a bit- boring. I want to go places. It doesn't have to be any of those planets I've met people from- but I just need to get out of here."

The Doctor was listening intently as his hands unconsciously manipulated the wires and cables in front of him. It was curious. Not since Rose- he swallowed- not since Rose had been lost had he been so intrigued by someone. This 'Evelyna Taylor' captured his attention- in more ways than one. She was like his Rose- and not. As if Rose had been a Time Lady, and had regenerated. He could see his Rose in this new, dark haired girl, but in dim reflection.

And something about her struck a chord within him- she was like a half-forgotten memory, a blurred negative in his consciousness. Something within her called out to him, faintly and tentatively- he could feel it. But what that was-

"Why?" Martha prompted, curious about the newcomer. "Why do you want to leave so bad? If you're happy-"

Evy sighed. "I don't know. I don't. I should be happy- but I can't be, I just can't settle. Everyday I'm in the same place I've been a thousand times before, It makes me restless. I love my home- but staying in the same landscape for years just makes me itch. Maybe it's something I got from my father."

The Doctor was, by now, hanging on every word, work forgotten, as he tried to assuage his curiosity. Evy intrigued him. A lot.

"Divorced?" Martha asked empathetically. Her own parents were divorced, and she could understand how that would affect a family.

Evy shook her head. "They were never married in the first place- just in love. She- my mother- never told him she was pregnant."

"Why?!" Martha asked incredulously. "I mean, did he not want a baby- or something-" She trailed off awkwardly.

Evy focused her attention back on the starchart. "I'm not sure. She doesn't like to talk about it. But she told me that he- he was different."

"Different how?" Martha asked. "Just like, mad, or something? Like him?" She gestured towards the Doctor.

To her surprise, Evy blushed a bright pink. The younger girl was about to reply to the other woman's question when there was a sudden outpouring of swearing from the Doctor's corner.

The Doctor had been attempting to reconnect two wires to the console while listening to Evy and Martha's conversation, and his lack of attention had got him burned by two wires. Plus, now that he had fixed a different part of the ship, they kept shocking him as he tried to move them, making replacing them impossible. Evy smiled despite herself and went over to him, leaving Martha behind.

"Did you try flipping the right anterior switch?"

The Doctor looked up it her as though she'd spoken Greek. "What?"

Evy sighed and took the wires from him, careful to touch them only on their insulated casing, and flipped a blue handled switch on the piece of control panel the Doctor had just replaced.

Now, wires deactivated, she twisted them together and replaced them in their bundle before reconnecting the whole thing.

"Did you try flipping off the electricity?"

"No." He stared at her with wide and fascinated eyes. "How did you do that?"

"Simple." She smiled up at him. "I'm a techy. I fix UNIT's junk for a hobby. Do you want help?"

He smiled at her, a real smile. "It would be appreciated."

Evy seated herself cross-legged next to the Doctor and grabbed a messy handful of wires. She began sorting them out by size, braiding the ones that were connected to each other into manageable cables. Here hands were soon stained with rust and dirty oily stuff, but she didn't care. She loved to fix and build things- she felt more like herself when her hands were covered in grease.

"So," The Doctor said conversationally, not looking up from his task, "You want to travel?"

Evy jumped as the Doctor's voice called her focus back from the wires in her lap. "What?"

"You want to travel?"

Evy blushed again, embarrassed at not understanding him the first time. "Yes. I want to travel as much as I can- see as much as I can."

"I can understand that," he said, screwing a wire back into place.

"I'll bet you can," Evy said under her breath.

"What did they want?"

"Excuse me?"

"The Chrona. The Ambassador asked for you, specifically. Why? Did they want something- did they hurt you or-"

Evy, surprised, shook her head violently 'no'. "They just wanted to talk." She glanced back down at her pile of work, afraid to look into his eyes. She didn't want to- couldn't tell him without revealing her secret, But if she looked into his eyes as she lied, she had a feeling he would know she was lying.

"Oh. Are you alright?" He asked her, caringly.

Evy nodded, meeting his eyes again so he would know she spoke the truth. "Yes. I've had much worse scares than being dragged off to be talked to." And then she turned away again, focusing on her work.

The Doctor got the message, intentional or not. Whatever she meant by that statement- and he was sure there were at least several stories behind it- Evy was not going to say. He turned back to his work also, even as his curiosity burned to know the secret he could tell she was hiding.

About a half hour later they were finished. The Doctor tucked the last piece of black paneling into place before standing and brushing his hands off on his coat.

"Well. What do we do now then?"

Evy shivered, remembering Sapien's words and eager to leave. "I say we slip out the door when no one's looking. I'm not overfond of these people."

"I'm with you," Martha agreed, stepping up to face the Doctor full on.

"Alright then. Let's go."

They slipped out the door to the control room, the Doctor first, then Evy and Martha. The Doctor strode confidently down the hall after seeing no guards; his two companions followed more cautiously in his wake.

Suddenly, from around a corner, one of the imposing Chrona guards appeared. For a moment, both parties stood staring at each other, unsure of what to do. The guard recovered just a second faster.

"Quid! Exire non liceat."

"Oh, here we go again," Martha muttered, while Evy made a similar remark under her breath. The Doctor glanced at both of them and winked.

"Sed vult dicere Excelsum te, Viator." The guard glowered at the Doctor, making a move to grab his arm.

"Yeah, sorry- but I don't really want to speak with him." He turned to the others. "Run!"

The whole group ran frantically down the halls, as the guard pounded heavily behind them, shouting for reinforcments. As they ran, the Doctor's hand sought the one next to him- and found it. A shock went through the Doctor's body: the hand he held fit his almost perfectly- almost as well as Rose's had. He glanced to the side as he ran, to see who ran beside him- and saw Evy.

She saw him looking and gave him a smile- the first real one he'd seen her make. She looked thrilled- and with her shorter legs effortlessly keeping up with his, like she belonged there. He bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn't cry. This felt so much like Rose. If he hadn't looked, he could have almost believed it was her.

#

They finally lost the guard once they exited the building- and locked the door with the sonic just for good measure. Ross was nowhere to be seen.

Martha panted slightly, her puffs of breath making little white clouds in the cold night.

"Did we lose him?" She asked. Her tone was serious and concerned, but tiny sparkles of merriment shone almost invisibly at the back of her eyes.

"Yes," The Doctor said, catching his own breath much quicker. "I think we lost them."

Evy nodded in agreement, her slight puffs of breath also turning white in the cold. "Good. Let's get back to the TARDIS. Should only be a fifteen minute walk- and I can call someone to come pick me up. I bet my friend's frantic!"

The Doctor glanced at Martha for a moment, as if carrying on some unspoken conversation, before he turned his gaze to regard Evy levelly.

"Evy. What are you hiding?"

A cold chill went up Evy's spine. She couldn't betray her secret- her truth. "I'm not hiding anything." But the lie sounded false to her own ears, and the Doctor frowned.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Evy, whatever you haven't told me. But if you're just a normal girl whose mother works for UNIT, like you told me, then things don't add up. You know how to fix technology way beyond most human's grasp- and you have a soldier friend who's willing to risk his neck to smuggle you into a secure area. The Chrona asked for you specifically- and you said so yourself, to Martha- your father was 'different'."

Evy stood there, to numb with shock and the terror of discovery to move. Her mouth worked, but no speech came out.

The Doctor softened a bit. "I- We're not going to hurt you, Evy. I'm the Doctor; I don't hurt people who don't deserve it. And I certainly don't hand them off to mad scientists to be studied like lab rats."

"So, come on, Evy." He said gently. "Let the truth out for once. Tell your secret."

Evy breathed a slight sigh of relief. _He's guessed close- but not the truth_.

She ran her tongue over her lips to moisten them before beginning. She'd have to go carefully- and construct a false story from select truth and omissions. "My- my mother was a worker for an alien investigation team. She never told me the name-"_Liar. You were practically raised in her Torchwood office-_"But, one day, she met someone- a man at her work." _Mum's _first _job-_"He was visiting-"_Earth _"-and she didn't know he was an alien at first." _Now, that part's true. Mum didn't guess until the second day she knew you. _" They fell in love. But she found out- he told her." _Chronology error, Evy, but truth nonetheless. _"My mum didn't care, and they moved in together." _Course, you, Doctor, and mum were sleeping apart except for two, maybe three days in your whole time of sharing house? _"She found out she was pregnant when she was three months along. She was gonna tell him- but then he disappeared. He left. It wasn't by choice- my mum found out later that he'd been taken back home by others- like him, I guess. So she had her baby, found a job where her child could be moderately safe, and got on with her life." Evy smiled wryly, rather perversely proud of the not-quite-lie she'd made.

"Sixteen years later, here I am. I'm a genius, or so I'm told, UNIT's go-to junk repair, and I've been kidnapped twice. All because my father was an alien that I know nothing about. Enjoy my little story, Doctor?" Evy said bitterly, almost spitting the words as she finished her litany. UNIT's tests and demands were a sore subject- one she always tried not to think too much about, or she got like this- bitter and resentful.

Martha's eyes had widened through Evy's monologue, and she was now silently staring at the girl in amazement, and sorrow. "Evy-"

Evy blew her bangs out of her eyes, trying to calm down. "No, it's alright. I try not to think of it too much. That makes it easier to bear."

The Doctor, whose face had assumed lines of sadness and worry, spoke back then. "Yes, but some things need thinking about. I'm sorry, truly sorry for what's happened to you."

Evy looked off into the distance. "Well, most of it's in the past now. Two more years and my mother's contract has no hold over me- and neither will they. I can get away and be just me again."

Martha smiled at her. "Good for you."

The Doctor looked at her, then at Martha, antagonizing over the decision. He had invited Martha along, and that had hurt- but not as much as he'd thought. Evy was so much like Rose- it was like having her back, except she wasn't his.

Except she wasn't Rose.

But she was like Rose- and he felt like he almost owed it to her to take her with him. She was like him in a different circumstance- ostracized, persecuted, and marked because she was different. And the Chrona had noted her-

The Chrona were not fools or false prophets. If they saw something, you had better pay attention to what they said about it. And they had noted her. All that talk about the 'Valiant'- and how the High One had selected Evy out. This called out to him- like the storm had. Something else was brewing, and this girl was in the middle of it.

He made his decision. Oddly, it wasn't that hard. It hurt to do so, but it wasn't hard.

"Would you like to come with us, Evy? For a bit?"

Evy felt a shock go through her. The Doctor seemed to take this as hesitation. "To say thanks, for tonight. Because Martha's here, and she did the same sort of thing you did, and I-"

Evy shushed him with her hand. Her mouth had gone dry, and she licked her lips to speak. Tonight was not going according to plan- but tonight was the night her entrapment in the sorrows of her and Rose's past ended.

"Yes," she said, in a hoarse voice barely above a whisper, "Yes. I would like to come."

**A/N: Please show your support for this story (with it's longest chapter to date) and tell me that I haven't lost you by reviewing. I appreciate all of your feedback, positive or critical. Every comment helps make this a better story and me a better writer. **

**Wings**


	17. Flight

**Well, happy finally updating. My life has been hectic- but that's to be expected in the Junior year of high school, right?! I've gotten to be an actor in a haunted forest for Halloween, and it's AWESOME! Another new thing lately, is my mother has made our whole family take gun safety- and yes, that includes shooting the thing. Acurately. **

**Actually, once I got over Ten's anti-gun protests in my head, it was kind of fun-(No! I'm falling for their brainwashing! Must not like guns!)**

**So, here is Daleks in Manhattan, Part 1. The into is actually my rewrite of a Season 3 deleted scene- Kudos to you who have already seen it! If you haven't, it is in a video montage of all the different deleted scenes of Season 3 on Youtube. **

**Also, special thanks to my beta, VioletK, who keeps me on track and points out where and what I need to write. **

_**Song ~ Hey Jude by The Beatles**_

* * *

All of them piled into the TARDIS console room- Martha walked confidently in after the Doctor, sitting casually on the jumpseat, watching him send the TARDIS into the vortex. Evy reveled in the sound of the TARDIS dematerializing, but she lingered near the door, still unsure of how she was supposed to act in the world that had been just dreams for so long. She closed her eyes and leaned against the rail, still trying in to process the amazing events that had happened in the space of a few hours.

Over the background noise of the Time Rotor an awkward silence descended. The Doctor continued to fiddle with the controls, pretending to be concentrating on his task; Martha, dangling her legs off the jumpseat, watched him inscrutably, absorbed in doing so.

The Doctor broke the silence first." So, Martha Jones; that's your lot." Evy's eyes flew open at the sound of his voice, and she saw that the Doctor didn't meet Martha's eyes as he said this. "As promised." He flipped a switch and glanced up at Martha, as if to solidify his statement. Martha, for her part, continued to watch him readably, but her face almost had a tint of sulkiness- and sadness. "One trip to the past, one trip to the future. Now we're heading home." He walked around the console, pausing in front of the monitor screen.

"I can drop you off just moments after we left."

Martha turned to look at him, forgetting that Evy was there. "And what about you?"

He looked at her, and his eyes darted over to the opposite wall, alighting on Evy with surprise. "I don't know. Not about me."

Martha persisted "And once I've gone, once you've-" She noticed Evy once more, following the Doctor's gaze, "Once you've given the same thank you to the new girl, what happens to you? Do you just –travel on?"

Evy jumped a little at being referenced, and then bristled internally at the idea of being called 'the new girl'. But beyond that, her mind was spinning, calculating the implications in what Martha had said. She- Martha- _wasn't_ her dad's new companion?

She wasn't even a companion?

"Same as ever. Wandering about, wherever the time winds take me. It's a perfect life, Martha. No limits, no ties. No responsibilities." The Doctor said this with an enthusiasm to hearty to be entirely true and to sincere to be entirely false- but Evy cringed away from the words anyway.

He wanted her mother, not her or Martha- he wanted his Rose, his love, but barring that, a friend to lean on, to care for, to rely on and to amaze- not an accidental freak of nature and power that could only remind him of what he'd lost, which she was completely and utterly.

She choked back a small cry, and pushed her emotions aside, biting her lip for control. This was _not_ about her. She was getting her wish, right? Her not so long ago wish that she had told Ross- to know her dad, earn his friendship- but have him not know her.

Silently, she told herself to stop being a hypocrite. She had just wanted friendship- not a parent. Now she could possibly get that friendship, without any risk of gaining a father. That was what she wanted at heart, right?

"No one to keep you company?" Martha asked.

Evy could see where this was going, and she would bet all of UNIT's emergency stash -The Doctor's account, filled with decades of accumulated paychecks- that the Doctor could to. Martha had only just tasted real freedom and adventure- a heady combination for anyone- and wanted more.

"Nope." The Doctor replied, popping the p as he manipulated the console, flying the TARDIS in a way much smoother than her mother's stories painted it.

Well, that was the crux of the matter, for her. Forgetting her pain at his unconscious rejection- not intended, but, in her mind, meant- and her doubt of her self-declared wish, she found the iron will she'd inherited from generations of Tyler women. Martha wanted more adventure, yes.

Well so did Evy. And she was going to get it- she had earned it, not just in their latest adventure, which she had barely participated in, but in all the years she had survived intrinsically alone, muddling through all of the weird alien things and surviving the kidnappings and crying for her family.

But she'd let Martha handle this. After all-

"And that's perfect." Martha asked, in a doubtful tone.

Martha did it so much better than she could.

A small smile of ironic amusement curved over Evy's lips. If her iron will had come from the Tylers, than her sense of self and others – and her sense of humor- had definitely come from the Doctor.

"Yep." The Doctor answered with a serious expression, leaning back over the console as he popped the p again.

Another awkward silence descended as the Doctor continued his messing with the console. Evy's ironic smile continued as she felt the moods shift. Martha, as she had felt before, wasn't ready to just pack up- figuratively- and go home after such a short time- but she didn't want to be rude or imposing. And the Doctor, for all the pain she knew he must feel for her mother's loss, still, wasn't ready to let her go, for all his seeming intentions and preference for solitude. He wanted a friend- Martha was his friend. Martha wanted to stay- but she wanted him to know she would go. Silently Evy counted the seconds. _Three, two, one-_

"No it's-"

"You don't have to-"

"No, sorry. Sorry. Go on." The Doctor motioned for Martha to go first, which she did.

"I was just going to say, that, since, you've got all the time in the world, then maybe we c-could-" Martha said, looking up at him from under her bangs. "Take a detour?"

Evy snorted with quickly concealed laughter. Oh, Martha Jones was not going home just yet- and, by extension, neither was she. It was for this fact that Evy was grateful.

Martha, seeing his face, then hurriedly added - "Not an actual trip! As such- just- you know-"

"The long way home." Evy spoke up first from her distant and unsure position halfway between the beginning of the center console platform and the door.

"That's it! The long was home." Martha, exclaimed, turning sideways over the jumpseat to face the other girl. Martha's face was lit with enthusiasm- The Doctor on the other hand, looked a little miffed that Evy had stolen his line.

"The scenic route." He stated as he walked around the console towards them, flipping switches as he went, not to be outdone.

"The B roads." Martha finished in delight, sending beseeching eyes the Doctor's way. Evy felt a surge of warmth and a long absent sensation of belonging flood her. She was part of this- part of this! Part of one of her dreams and what had served as her fairy tales.

"Oh, alright then, twist my arm. You get one detour. Just one. You got it?" The Doctor said, mock seriously but nonetheless firmly as he pulled up on a large lever.

A Bell dinged on the TARDIS console. "One."

Martha's face fell, but only minutely. She quickly concealed that disappointment behind her larger eagerness and enthusiasm, turning back to face Evy. "Well, if it's only one," She began, a hint of friendly mischief in her tone, "Let's let the new girl pick her thank-you."

"Sounds good to me," The Doctor agreed, smiling at Evy, who was still standing near the door, with the feel of someone who is not quite sure of their welcome.

Evy swallowed, her mind frantically casting about for some place to go as both pairs of brown eyes turned to her. Then she lit upon the perfect idea- an idea that brought sparks of merriment to her eyes.

"I have a perfect idea," She said, striding away further away from the doors and onto the undefined gap of space right between the walkway and the console platform. She pointed over to the still-moving column emanating from the console. "Why don't we let her choose?"

The TARDIS materialized in front of a white stone wall, the familiar sound cutting through the windy field of grass that stretched before it. As soon as the grating whine had stopped completely, Martha rushed out first, closely followed by Evy, her eyes alight with curiosity, and the Doctor behind both of them.

"Where are we?" Martha asked, straight to the point, but smiling happily. Evy stood at her right, not speaking, but drinking in and analysing the sight before her, committing it all to memory.

"Ah, smell that Atlantic breeze. Nice and cold. Lovely." The Doctor proclaimed as he walked around a few paces, taking in the view. He came to a stop facing both women. "Ladies, have you met my friend?" He gazed upwards, indicating something to them.

Both Evy and Martha looked up to see the Statue of Liberty, towering above them as they stood at it's base, and both assumed expressions of awe and exhilarated disbelief.

"Is that-? Oh my God! That's the Statue of Liberty!" Martha exclaimed. Evy instead gazed silently upward, eyelids closed for a few heartbeats as she allowed herself to remember- to remember both a different trip, a different time, and a different universe.

But the Doctor's next words woke her up, casting away the spell of sorrowful remembrance.

"Gateway to the New World. "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…"

"The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me." Evy finished, almost in reflex, surprising herself at how easily and casually the words slipped out of her guarded mouth.

"You know the poem?" The Doctor asked, turning his head to face her and sounding a bit surprised- and impressed.

She knew the poem- how could she not? When she had visited New York with her mother and family, back in Pete's World, the statue had been one of the only places continuous between universes that had remained untainted by her mother's memories- her memories of him.

So they had all been able to go as a family, for once, and as a much younger Evy had read the words of the poem engraved on the base, she had felt them find an echo in her heart- an echo that had held unmistakable shadings of Doctor-ness- something she had welcomed. Welcomed, back when she had still believed in the unshakeable and innocent way of children; back when she was lonely and the idea of her father was still a wonderful, real fairy tale that lulled her to sleep every night with the promise of coming true the next day.

But she could hardly say all that, could she?

"Yes- I love that poem. The sentiment's right- and it reminds me of someone. Or it used to." Evy shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant, even as passionate emotion surged. The ache of longing, even though he was right beside her, swelled within her. She forced it down, trying not to show it, but some of the pain she felt must have made it to her eyes.

The Doctor looked as though he was going to say something, as a flash of concern flicked through his own eyes, but before he could-

"That's so brilliant. I've always wanted to go to New York. I mean the real New York, not the new, new, new, new, new…" Martha said, chattering on with beautifully distracting enthusiasm. Evy could have kissed her.

Thank you, Martha. Remind me to send you a really nice gift basket when we get back home,

Evy thought in relief and almost worshipful gratitude.

"Well," The Doctor said as he walked over to the edge of the island, side tracked by Martha's enthusiasm. "There's the genuine article. So good, they named it twice."

Martha and Evy hastened to catch up, following him over to the gorgeous view of the New York skyline.

"Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice. Now wonder it didn't catch on. New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam." He started mumbling to himself as both girls followed him, a couple steps behind. They stopped several yards from the edge of the slope.

"I wonder what year it is. 'Cause look, the Empire State Building's not even finished yet." Martha said, pointing at the building towering over the massive city.

"Work in progress," Evy observed. "And look, they've still got major sailing vessels on the Hudson."

"Mmm-hmm." The Doctor agreed notcomittedly, not really listening. As Evy glanced over at Martha, hoping for a more encouraging reply, she saw the woman notice something. Evy walked over to the bench where Martha had found a newspaper as the Doctor continued lecturing along. "The Empire state's still got a couple floors to go, and if I know my history, that makes the date somewhere around—

"November 1, 1930." Martha read off the newspaper, walking back over to the Doctor with Evy alongside, reading off her shoulder.

"You're getting good at this." The Doctor remarked. Martha smiled and looked back up to face the view.

"Eighty years ago." She remarked, speaking her thoughts out loud.

The Doctor made as if to take the paper from Martha while she talked, but Evy got there first, giving the Doctor a smug look before turning to read. The Doctor gave a small, pretend-annoyed sigh before turning back to listen to Martha's chatter.

'It's funny 'cause you see all those old newsreels in black and white like it's so far away, but here we are. It's real. It's now." Martha laughed and looked over at the Doctor. "Come on, you. Where do we all go first?"

Evy tuned Martha out as she began to read. She had long ago learned, out of experience, that far from just being sources of entertainment, papers left lying out- particularly sensitive documents forgotten in UNIT briefing rooms by overworked and inexperienced new aides- could be sources of interesting and important information.  
She scanned the headlines- and one blaring title jumped out at her immediately.

"Umm- Doctor? I think you might want to read this."

The Doctor practically snatched the paper from her hands, scanning the headline and article beneath it in seconds

"What?" Martha inquired curiously. "What is it?" She peered over the Doctor's left shoulder, trying to read as Evy stood on the Doctor's right.

"Hooverville Mystery Deepens," The Doctor read off the headline, showing the paper to Martha. "I think our detour just got longer."

Martha shook her head in confusion. "What's Hooverville?"

Evy could feel sparks of ancipation and excitement begin to grow within her- the promise of an adventure, one from her old bedtime stories, like she had dreamed about for so long and not dared to believe could be hers, awakened the tiny coal of a fire she had long thought out. Her parents' fire- her parents' gift and thirst and need for adventure.

She smiled a small smile of joy to herself, forgetting the invisible burdens she had carried with her so far.

"Good question, Martha, but I think the one our good tour guide wants to answer is _where_."

It took them awhile, but gradually they made their way from Liberty Island to the streets of greater Manhattan. And, aside from the ferry crossing from the island to the mainland, on foot. Evy was _very_ glad by the time they drew close to Central Park that she had kept up her interest in Cross Country and Track. Her feet were used to being abused.

The Doctor chattered on in 'history lecture mode' and Evy half listened. She knew most of the history- and, unlike Martha, what Hooverville was- not through any personal virtue of her own, but American History had been one of her required courses last term.

"Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the USA, came to power a year ago. Up till then, New York was a boom town; the Roaring Twenties, and then-"

They turned onto one of the paths in the park, and Evy huddled into her borrowed jacket, glad of the warmth. Martha finished the Doctor's sentence.

"The Wall Street Crash, yeah? When was that, 1929?"

"Ish." Evy mumbled detachedly, her voice muffled by the collar she'd buried her face in. She knew what they were headed to, at least abstractly. The Depression was not one of the greatest eras in America's past.

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded. "Whole economy wiped out overnight. Thousands of people unemployed. Suddenly the huddled masses doubled in number with nowhere to go. So they ended up here in Central Park."

"What, they actually live in the park?" Martha asked doubtfully. The Doctor arched an eyebrow at her incredulity. "In the middle of the city."

"See for yourself, Martha." He nodded toward a large collection of quickly and clumsily pieced together shacks and tents, randomly interspersed with sputtering fire barrels. It was filled with sound- coughs; the cry of children; the subdued murmur of voices.

Martha blinked, and was suddenly quiet. Evy could understand the feeling. It was one thing to read about poverty and despair and barely even surviving, or even see such things in photos- it was quite another to actually be there, in the middle of it.

As they walked down the large path between two rows of shacks, people turned to look at them, suspicious and guarded eyes following them, the outsiders.

Martha's expression was sobering- she looked like she was trying very hard not to show emotion.

"Ordinary people." The Doctor said quietly. "Lost their jobs. Couldn't pay the rent and they lost everything. There are places like this all over America. No one's helping them."

"Some people can't," Evy whispered. "Most people can't." He didn't reply directly to her statement, but he looked at her as he continued.

"You only come to Hooverville when there's nowhere else to go."

They continued on, a silent party of three. Martha's eyes roamed the scenes before her, never ceasing, while the Doctor's eyes did the same, except the seemed to be searching for something- or someone.

Suddenly, sounds of shouting, raised above the relatively low noise of Hooverville, made their was into Evy's ears.

Alerted to the sound, Evy glanced around, curious to see what the commotion was. She glanced back the way the Doctor and Martha were walking- and decided she could always find them later

It didn't take long for her to find the source of the noise. In a relatively clear area, two men, one white and one black, were fighting furiously.

"You thievin' lowlife!" The black man yelled, punching the other man across the face, knocking him down to the ground. Two more men hurriedly appeared, trying to break up the fight, but the man just shook them off and pounced on his target. The other men finally succeded in getting the black man off of the other long enough for him to get up.

"Who do you think you are, taking the loaf!" The black man accused the other, struggling out of the restraining grasp of the other men.

"I didn't touch it!" The white man protested, before his attacker punched him again, this time in the stomach.

Evy watched raptly- and noticed an older man, also black, step out of his tent, drawn by the clear sound of a fight. Seeing the two men rapidly going after each other, he strode toward them, trying to stop the fight

"Cut that out!" He yelled. The two men, ignored him and continued to fight, while the two others vainly tried to break them up.

"Cut it out! Right now!" He yelled, physically pushing the two men apart. Evy noticed something interesting about all five men's body language- the two trying to break up withdrew, almost as if in deference to this man- and the two fighters withdrew their attacks slightly, allowing him to push them apart, also differential. So then- he was respected by these men- and likely, she noted, the others among the crowd that was gathering.

"He stole my bread!" The black man said angrily, pointing his finger accusingly at the man opposite him and lunging forward, ready for another go. The older man lifted a restraining hand, keeping him back.

"That's enough!" He turned to the second, white man, dropping both of his hands from the two men. "Did you take it?" He asked directly.

The white man's posture held an odd combination of defeat and defiance."I don't know what happened. He just went _crazy_!" He spat the last few words.

The first man's face contorted with anger, and he lunged forward once more, but the older mediator held him back.

"That's _enough_!"

By now, a sizable amount of other residents of Hooverville had wandered over to see what was going on. The Doctor and Martha were with them- silently, they fell into place beside Evy.

"Now think real careful before you lie to me." The older man said, looking directly into the younger man's eyes. He broke down and confessed almost immediatly.

"I'm starvin', Solomon." Evy could tell that he was ashamed of his act- but, as she knew, all to well, desperation could lead the best person to the most horrible of acts.

Solomon held out his hand, in a clear gesture of 'hand it over'. The young man reached under his coat and pulled out a small loaf of slightly crushed bread. A grumble of disapproval went through the crowd as he handed it over to Solomon without looking up.

"We're all starvin'." Solomon said, as he broke the bread in half. "We all got families somewhere." He finished dividing the bread and handed each man a half. "No stealin' and no _fightin'_. You know the rules." He paused, and Evy reflected on the fact that this was a very wise man- and a well named one.

Solomon looked around the crowd. "Thirteen years ago, I fought in the Great War. A lot of us did. And the only reason we got through was because we _stuck_ _together_!" He turned directly to the bread theif as he said this, and the theif looked down at the bread loaf in his hand in shame.

"No matter how bad things get, we _still _act like human beings." He now turned and met the eyes of the other man. "It's all we got." Dispute settled, both men turned away, and gradually, the crowd began to disperse, Solomon with them.

"Come on," Evy heard the Doctor mutter in her ear. She glanced up at him- his eyes were fixed on Solomon.

Sighing, she trailed after the Doctor and Martha.

"I suppose that makes you the boss around here." He said to Solomon, walking up to the other man.

Solomon trailed to a stop and turned to face the Doctor as Evy and Martha fell into line on the Doctor's left and right sides. "And, uh, who might you be?"

"He's the Doctor. I'm Martha." Martha intoduced, pointing to each of them to clarify names. "And this is Evy."

Evy nodded in polite greeting as Martha introduced her. She didn't speak, though, content for now to let Martha and the Doctor do the talking.

"A doctor?" Solomon asked, Doctor forced a smile in awknowlegement. "Huh. Well, we got, uh, stockbrokers, we got a lawyer," He tipped his head to indicate the men he ment. The Doctor's eyes followed where he indicated before coming back to Solomon. "But you're the first doctor. Neighbourhood gets classier by the day." He folded his overcoat closed and rubbed his hands together, warming them over a small fire in front of someone's tent.

Martha glanced around, arms folded tightly across her chest, partly from desire not to show emotion, partly, Evy suspected, from cold. Not for the first time, Evy was doubly thankful for the warmth of her borrowed coat.

"How many people live here?" Martha asked. Solomon looked over at her, his expression sober and evaluating.

"At any one time- hundreds. No place else to go." His gaze drifted from Martha to roam over the campsite, before returning. "But I will say this about Hooverville. We are a truly equal society, black, white, all the same. All starving." He chuckled wryly.

"So you're welcome. Both of you." He dropped his hands from over the fire to back down to his sides. "Though I gotta say, you all don't exactly look hungry." He let the statement hang in the air, clearly expecting some explination.

The Doctor inhaled sharply, leaning back as he did so. "No. We're more- sort of visiting."

Solomon's expression instantly became cold and stony. "Come to see the freak show, huh?"

"That's not fair," Martha said, affronted by the thought. "We came-"

Evy decided to step in here. Stories were her specialty, and really, she didn't want any of them, including herself, to be thought less off, because of some one else's wrongdoing or alien activies.

"We came because they both lost their jobs a month ago, out of the blue. Held onto the apartment as long as we could- but, well, you know. Didn't have much to bring, other than the clothes we have- we kept selling stuff to try and pay the rent and eat at the same time."

Solomon's grimness lessened. "They kick you out today?"

"Last night. We tried to stay at Martha's freind's, but- well, she's gone off with her husband. Hoping for work. Spent the night in the soup kitchen - Doctor's hoping we'll have better luck with one of his colleagues in Cinncinati." The words tripped off her tongue with an ease that made them sound like truth. Making stories and lying had always been one of her better illicit skills- along with hotwiring army vechicles and picking locks. It was only when lying about herself that her mouth tripped up and betrayed her.

"Ah. Well." Solomon had the decency to look apologetic. "Sorry about what I said, earlier, but you can guess that some folks just come down here to make fun of those less fortunate."

"That's always the way of it, isn't it? The lucky ones think their luck is more than just the hand of fate." Evy said sadly. The nuts and bolts of poverty may have never been her lot of bad luck, but the credo she'd uttered seemed to hold true for every ounce of misfortune.

Solomon nodded in agreement, and began to walk away. Then, suddenly, he turned back, gesturing toward the Doctor.

"Tell me, Doctor, you're a man of learning, right? Explain this to me." He turned and pointed toward the incomplete Empire State Building, leading the three of them over to a span of lower trees.

"That there's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, and we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?"

The Doctor gazed solmenly up at the towering spire, not awnsering.

Solomon shook his head regretfully. "I didn't think you would know, either. There should be some places by the edge that are relatively free for tonight. In the mornin' a couple of the guys are planning to hop a train down near the junction tracks. They'll likely let you come along."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Evy, Martha, and the Doctor in the middle of Hooverville with no more clues than they had started with.

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	18. Danger

**Alright, this is NOT the final edition of this chapter- It doesn't even have a title yet. This is still pending review by my AWESOME beta, who is busy trying to publish her origional fantasy novel- YAY for VioletK! However, seeing as this hasn't been updated since- WOW! October! I think you guys, my faithful readers and reviewers alike, have suffered enough. Good news- more updates on the way in the space of two or three days- I still intend to make my self imposed deadline of having the 'big reveal' done by New Year's at the very latest. Have fun!**

**Update: This chapter is now final as it has been approved by my wonderful beta- and as of now, it is final and story cannon. AKA- POUR IN THE REVIEWS, GUYS!**

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_**Song~ Viva la Vida by Coldplay**_

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They walked around for a while, seemingly perusing the collection of shacks like the new arrivals they were pretending to be. Evy wished they could sit down for a bit- her feet were getting tired. And numb. Conditioned to use they might be, inured to it, they were not.

Finally, though, after what felt like twenty or so minutes, both Martha and Evy followed the Doctor's silent lead back through the camp, searching for Solomon. They found him in front of a patched tent, throwing a pot of coffee dregs onto the fire.

"So…men are going missing. Is this true?" The Doctor asked, taking the newspaper they had found on Liberty Island out of his coat and holding it up.

Solomon turned to look at them- and walked over, taking the newspaper and looking at it unreadably. "It's true alright." He said, walking into his tent and motioning with his head for them to follow. Evy didn't need the hint- warm coat or no warm coat, after walking in the cold for three hours, she was chilled and wanted in.

She sighed a little at the relative warmth of the tent, leaning on the front pole as the Doctor came up beside her.

"But what does missing mean?" The Doctor persisted, on her right. "Men must come and go here all the time. It's not like anyone's keeping a register."

Solomon glanced over at them after sitting down and saw Evy and Martha shivering in the Doctor's formidable wake.

"C'mon in, all of you."

Evy and Martha practically ran in, eager to get further out of the wind and chill, and sat. The Doctor followed them, and before he could start in on his digging, Evy hastened to thank Solomon.

"Thanks. My feet were killing me."

He nodded in understanding. "You're welcome." Then he turned to the Doctor. " The men going missing? This is different." He said, looking down at the newspaper he still held.

"In what way?" Martha asked curiously as soon as she had taken her seat. Evy listened intently to Solomon's reply as she tried to discreetly get some feeling back into her feet.

"Someone takes them." Evy's eyes widened, surprised- as the Doctor's narrowed in thought. "At night. We hear something. Someone calls out for help. By the time we get there, they're gone. Like they vanish into thin air."

"And you're sure someone's taking them?" The Doctor asked, his expression unchanged- except for the bit of steel that crept into his voice and eyes.

"Doctor, when you got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you got." Solomon said tiredly. "Your knife, blanket, you take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, fire still burning."

Martha was nodding along as he said this, eyes sad and worried.

"Have you been to the police?" she asked. Evy didn't say anything, but she suspected she knew what the answer was going to be. The 1930's police may not have had CSI, but if they were investigating this, there would probably police around here somewhere- which there weren't, not that she'd seen.

"Yeah, we tried that." Solomon said sarcastically, confirming Evy's suspicions. "Another deadbeat goes missing, big deal."

The Doctor's eyes gazed off into the distance as he started thinking. Evy could practically see the thought bubble above his head as he did that. "So, the question is, who's taking them and what for?"

Solomon and Martha both looked like they were going to reply, when a young man burst into the tent.

"Solomon, Mr. Diagoras is here." He said, giving the three of them curious glances - particularly the girls- before hurrying back out, Solomon jumping up to follow him. The Doctor, Martha, and Evy looked at each other before doing the same.

Outside, a well-dressed man on the platform, flanked by two others, was addressing the men of Hooverville. Evy assumed this was Mr. Diagoras.

"I need men. Volunteers. I got a little work for you and you sure look like you can use the money."

Evy narrowed her eyes at the man. She might not have been the most worldly-wise person in the world, people-wise, but this man put her off, particularly the arrogant and patronizing tone in his voice.

"Yeah. What is the money?" The young man who had popped into the tent yelled.

"A dollar a day." This reply generated an angry mutter through the middling crowd of men.

"What's the work?" Solomon asked evenly.

"A little trip down the sewers." Diagoras answered, with a load of condescension in his voice that made Evy grit her teeth. _Yeah, this guy's definitely a jerk. Even worse, he's probably a powerful jerk. _"Got a tunnel that collapsed needs clearing and fixing." Diagoras continued. "Any takers?"

The crowd began to disperse with more angry mutterings and negatives. Evy looked behind her to see the Doctor watching with interest.

"A dollar a day? That's slave wage." Solomon said, his tone still even, but confident. "Men don't always come back up, do they?"

"Accidents happen." Diagoras shrugged. Was it just Evy's imagination, or did he say that just a tad to fast for it to entirely honest. She narrowed her eyes, mentally wondering if- and what- this arrogant, gesticulating man was a little too eager to hide. And the same thing had caught the Doctor's attention as well.

"What do you mean?" He asked. "What sort of accidents?"

"You don't need the work? That's fine." Diagoras replied "Anybody else?" Evy saw the Doctor raise his hand and groaned. _Please, please don't let him be doing what I think he's doing._ She figured that Martha was thinking the same thing. He winked at her, hearing her groan.

"_Enough_ with the questions." Diagoras shouted.

"Oh, n-n-no. I'm volunteering." The Doctor said. Several people, including the man from the tent and Solomon turned to look at him.

Evy reluctantly raised her hand along with Martha. "Just what I've always wanted!" she muttered under her breath. "Let's go play in the sewers!"

Martha nodding in agreement before glaring at the Doctor. "I'll kill you for this."

"You want help?" Evy asked. The Doctor made an amused noise at both of them.

Across from them, Frank's hand shot up after a moment of consideration- and resignedly, Solomon's slowly followed. Evy looked over at them- particularly Frank, who didn't look that much older than her.

_Well, _she thought, _at least we'll have company. And I'll have someone new and non-awkward to talk to in the boring periods that are sure to come in-between the running-for-our-lives-from-the-scary-monsters phase. _

* * *

The sewers weren't far- just about a half-mile away from Hooverville. Diagoras lead them there, handing them flashlights as they crawled down the slimy ladder into the tunnel.

"Turn left." He directed them, pointing down the tunnel. "Go about half a mile. Follow Tunnel 273. Fall's right ahead of you. You can't miss it."

"I should imagine, if it's blocking our way out," Evy said, staring at Diagoras, a challenge plain in her eyes. _I don't like you. _She thought as she stared at him. _You're hiding something. _

There was a soft snicker at Evy's remark, covered quickly by a cough from someone.

"And _when_ do we get our dollar?" Frank asked, a coil of rope on his shoulder as he turned to look from where Diagoras was pointing to the man himself.

"When you come back up." Diagoras said, as though it were obvious.

"And if we don't come back up?" The Doctor said quietly, eyes unwavering and perhaps a bit sad-looking.

"Then I got no one to pay." Diagoras replied, shaking his head slightly. Evy shivered- and not just from the chill or damp. This bloke was seriously creeping her out.

"Cheerful thought," she muttered.

Solomon glanced at her- perhaps with the smallest hint of a smile- before turning the beam of his flashlight to Diagoras's face. "Don't worry." He said cuttingly to the foreman. "We'll be back."

"Let's hope so." Martha breathed, reaching down and quietly squeezing Evy's hand in a gesture of reassurance.

Solomon, Frank, and Martha all set off down the tunnel, the light of their flashlights shining off of the wet walls. Evy started to follow them- and hesitated. The Doctor wasn't moving- he simply stood in front of Diagoras, evaluating him. The other man stared back. Evy watched, silently, for a moment, before turning and catching up with Frank and Martha.

Slipping beside Martha, she listened to Frank's conversation.

"We just gotta stick together." He was saying. "It's easy to get lost. It's like a huge rabbit warren. You could hide an army down here."

Evy snorted as they headed off down the passageway, causing the two others to look at her in surprise- having not noticed her slipping up behind them. "You're not helping my confidence level any."

Frank snickered wryly at her sarcasm.

* * *

Travel through the tunnels was dismal- and while the Doctor and Solomon might be content to remain in either hushed conference or silent acceptance, but the three younger members of the party chattered quietly and enthusiastically among themselves. By the time they had gone about three-quarters of the way in, Frank had learned their (false) backstory, only slightly embellished with carefully edited truth.

The current plot, Evy committed to memory, was what they had told to Solomon- except that they had recently emigrated to America from Britain when the Doctor had lost his job, taking all of their incomes and savings with it.

Neither she nor Martha elaborated any farther than that- Martha kept giving Evy surreptitious glances when Frank wasn't looking: looks that said quite clearly _you're asking for trouble_ and_ I can't believe you're doing_- but Evy suspected that Frank thought that she was the Doctor's relative- daughter, niece, cousin, maybe- and that Martha had been their maid or housekeeper.

That was quite fine with her- he could go right along thinking that. But to Evy, even from the short period of time she had known her, the idea of Martha being a maid was laughable. As in, rolling on the floor, out of breath, with tears leaking from your eyes, laughing hysterically because the two ideas just did not mix

Eventually, when they finished telling their concocted story, Martha asked Frank about his own past.

"So what about you, Frank? You're not from around these parts, are you?"

He laughed slightly. "Oh, you two could talk." He teased. "No, no, I'm from Tennessee, born and bred."

"So how come you're here? What's your story?" Evy asked, biting her cheek to keep from cracking up at the persistent and amusing picture of Martha being the hired help.

"Uh, my daddy died." Both Evy and Martha nodded sympathetically.

"Mama…couldn't afford to feed us all. So, I'm the oldest, up to me to feed myself, so put on my coat, hitched up here on the railroads. There's a whole lot of runaways in camp younger than me. From all over; Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas… Solomon keeps a lookout for us."

Hearing this, and as if to prove Frank's point, Solomon looked back at the trailing three.

So, what about you? He asked, changing the subject abruptly. "Evy had to come with your Doctor- why did you follow them? You're a long way from home, just followin' that guy for a job."

"Yeah, I guess I'm just a hitcher too. Me _and_ Evy." Martha answered her eyes far off and distant, putting stress on the word _and_. Evy wondered what made her look so sad.

**"**You stick with me, you'll be all right." Frank said kindly, smiling at Martha and leaning forward to wink at Evy. She smiled back at him, winking back flirtatiously.

Martha noticed this exchange, and sighed. Bad enough she could barely even hold the Doctor's attention. Worse, the new tagalong, who had elicited more interest in the Doctor than Martha ever had when she showed up was a flirt. An attractive flirt- and she seemed like a nice girl. Which, of course, made it all the more painful for her to be ignored now- it wasn't on purpose, it just… happened.

Annoyed at her compatriots, and herself for being letting such shallow things take her attention away from this adventure- even if the prospects looked rather dismal- Martha hastened her steps until she was about three or four in front of them, and listened to the Doctor and Solomon talking.

"So, this Diagoras bloke, who is he then?" She heard the Doctor ask Solomon.

"A couple of months ago, he was just another foreman." Solomon said, carefully stepping around some unidentifiable refuse probably best left that way. "Now, it seems like he's running most of Manhattan."

"How did he manage that, then?"

Solomon shrugged. "These are strange times. A man can go from being King of the Hills to lowest of the low overnight. It's just for some folks it works the other way 'round."

"Whoa!" The Doctor exclaimed, the light of his lantern catching a strange blob on the ground, which was giving off a sick, florescent green light. He stopped, and Martha darted forward, eager to finally be of some use. She also noted, with relief, that the flirting couple behind her had been silenced- and then quashed a feeling of resentment when Evy followed her just as readily.

Martha crouched between Solomon and the Doctor, pointing her light at it. "Is it radioactive or something?" She asked, repulsed by the thing's appearance.

The Doctor moved to the side, crouching behind it, and Martha followed him, letting Evy take her space, which was now next to Frank. She and Evy caught a whiff of the stench at the same time. Evy clapped a hand to her mouth and nose, trying not to puke at the smell.

"God! Whatever it is, it's definitely gone off. Several weeks ago." Evy said, swallowing hard to control her nausea and the rising bile in her throat.

Martha was in a similar- but much better controlled state. So working late nights in Casualty _did_ have advantages. She saw the Doctor slip on his glasses and reach out, knowing what was coming next.

"And you've just _got_ to pick it up." She quipped, dropping her hand from her nose- but only for a moment. The Doctor raised it to his nose and sniffed- and Martha quickly covered her nose again.

"How can you smell that?" Evy asked incredulously on the other side of him. He ignored her.

"Shine your torch through it?" He requested to Martha. She felt an irrational surge of glee that he asked her first- before telling herself to stop being shallow.

"Composite organic matter." He mumbled, clearly thinking out loud, before turning back to her. "Martha? Medical opinion?"

It just looked like a Hollywood movie prop to her- but this was real, not a movie set. "It's not human. I know that."

Above Evy's crouched back, she saw Solomon and Frank exchange puzzled glances.

"No, it's not. And I'll you something else," The Doctor continued abruptly, standing up from his crouched position to look Solomon and Frank in the eye. Martha and Evy followed suit. "We must be at least half a mile in and I don't see any signs of a collapse, do you?" Reflexively, everyone shone the beams of their lights around. "So why-"

"Diagoras- I knew he was hiding something!" Evy nearly shouted, wiping her palms off on her still-borrowed jeans. Everyone looked at her, and she blushed. "What?"

"Well, what made you think that?" The Doctor asked softly. He was never one to disregard an opinion- well, some people's opinions. But it was interesting to know that his newest compani- no; ah- plus one had noticed something similar to what he had.

Evy shrugged, attempting nonchalance, and then shivered, ruining the front of indifference. " I don't like him." She said simply. "He gives me the creeps- and he's just too arrogant, too self-assured, to superior. Like he knows something everybody else doesn't. Like no matter what, he's safe. No matter what anyone else does or what he does, he's safe on top."

"Plenty of men are like that nowadays," Solomon pointed out. "You said so yourself, back in Hooverville."

Evy shook her head. "What I mean is, even the rich are worried about their fortunes- even those who haven't lost everything. Even the men now ruling the city probably have some doubt in their minds, right? So why doesn't he?"

Everyone was silent for a moment before Martha broke the silence.

"Where are we now, anyway? What's above us?"

"Well.." The Doctor looked up at the dripping ceiling "We're right underneath Manhattan."

Solomon looked around, his light dancing off of the water everywhere- and he caught sight of a small metal plaque on the wall. "We're way beyond half a mile." He said, reading it through the mildew and mold growing on it. "There's no collapse, nothing."

"So, that Diagoras bloke, was he lying?" Martha queried.

Evy reigned in the urge to say something sarcastic.

"Looks like it," the Doctor replied.

Frank frowned. "So why did he want people to come down here?"

The Doctor didn't answer Frank's question. Instead, he turned to Solomon. "Solomon, I think it's time you took these two back. I'll be much quicker on my own."

Evy and Martha both opened their mouths to protest, but before they could, or the Doctor continue, an eerie squealing noise echoed through the tunnels.

"What the hell was that?" Solomon , said, looking around frantically. The beam of his light danced around the tunnel as he shone it around.

"Hello?" Frank called into the tunnel, afraid but curious.

"Shh!" Martha and Evy both hissed.

"Frank," Solomon chastised.

"What if it's one of the folk gone missing?" Frank argued at the older man, "You'd be scared, half-mad down here on your own."

"True," Evy muttered grudgingly.

"Do you think they're still alive?" the Doctor asked, his tone implying that it was unlikely.

"Heck, we ain't seen no bodies down here," Frank replied optimistically, "Maybe they just got lost."

"I know I never heard nobody make a sound like that," Solomon commented as the squealing occurred again. Evy shivered. Really, she did not want to find out who- or what- was making that noise- and she suspected that it had more than a little to do with Diagoras and the non-existent tunnel collapse.

The Doctor walked a little ways ahead of the group. Evy stayed next to Martha- and the group continued talking.

"Sounds like there's more than one of 'em," Frank agreed with one of the others

"This way," the Doctor called, nodding towards a tunnel.

"No, that way," Solomon pointed his torch towards another tunnel, the light catching a huddled form on the ground..

"Do we have to go either way?" Evy pleaded. Both men ignored her- but Frank smiled at her reassuringly- despite his own fears.

"Doctor!" Martha called, noticing the figure highlighted by Solomon's light. The Doctor quickly rejoined the group at Martha's call, seeing that they had found someone.

"Who are you?" Solomon asked, drawing closer to the figure.

"Are you lost?" Frank tried when Solomon got no response, "Can you understand me? I've been thinkin' about folk lost…" he took a step towards the figure but Evy pulled him back- despite her fear. Something wasn't right…

The Doctor gave her a nod of approval. "It's alright, Frank. Just stay back. Let me have a look," he walked towards the figure, "He's got a point, though, my mate Frank. I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own," the figure squealed, "We know the way out. Daylight. If you want to come with us..." he squatted down and moved his torch to reveal a man with a pig's face, "Oh, but what are you?"

Evy gasped, seeing the face. It was one thing to hear about the monsters, but...

"Is, uh, that some kind of carnival mask?" Solomon asked, growing the slightest bit fearful.

"No, it's real," The Doctor replied, crouching beside the pig-man. He reached out and lightly touched the pig man's face but he flinched away, "I'm sorry."

"Now listen to me," the Doctor said, "I promise I can help. Now, who did this to you?"

"Doctor…" Evy said warning, seeing shadows move.

"I think you'd better get back here," Martha called, finishing Evy's sentence, as she watched more pig men entering through the opposite end of the tunnel, "Doctor!"

"Actually…" the Doctor said as he stood, "Good point," he backed up towards the others, noticing the pig men eyeing him and following his movements.

"They're following you," Martha gasped as Evy stepped back involuntarily.

"Yeah, I noticed that, thanks. Well then, Martha, Evy, Frank, Solomon…"

"What?!" Evy and Martha said together.

"Um, basically…run!" he shouted as they all bolted down the tunnel.


	19. Evolution

**Alright, Daleks in Manhattan is finally complete. Look for more chapters coming soon- I have every intention of making 'the reveal' by Christmas. And, if not Christmas, than New Year's. **

**If you haven't been by my profile in a while, I posted on there that I'm taking requests for Doctor/Evy oneshots and short stories. If you want it, I'll write it. **

**On a more serious note, I dedicate this and future writings to the memory of those killed in Friday's shooting, particularly those children who had their whole future to explore. My heart goes out to their families, loved ones, community and classmates, who will have to bear the scars of this tragedy forever. May they find happiness in the life beyond this one they never were able to live, and may their killer find the justice there he escaped here. RIP.**

_**Song~ It's Time by Imagine Dragons**_

* * *

Evy ran down the tunnel as fast as she could, feet slipping on the wet cement as she cursed the low traction on her worn shoes. The sounds of the pig men echoing behind her and the rest of the group urging them on to even greater speed. Evy didn't look back- she was a little too busy trying to escape. Oddly, though, in some detached corner of her mind, there was the reflection that it was a very, very good thing she had continued running track for so long.

They came to a junction in the tunnels, and Evy nearly fell into Martha as they skidded to a stop.

"Where are we going?" Martha shouted, panicked, looking around frantically at the different tunnel turnings.

"That way!" Evy shouted, pausing only momentarily to grab Martha's hand and drag her after the Doctor and the rest of the group as they turned right and kept running, the pig men chasing after them.

They raced down the tunnels, Evy concentrating on two things- not falling and following the Doctor. The group passed another tunnel- and Evy turned her head just the right way to catch a glimpse of a ladder.

"Ladder!" She yelled, spinning on her heel in a way that made her wince. Catching her fall on the wall of the tunnel, Evy burst out into the smaller passage.

"There's a ladder!" the Doctor shouted, quickly catching on and overtaking her. He climbed it with the speed of a monkey and reached up to use the sonic screwdriver on the lid. Evy got to it right as he opened the lid, Martha behind her. The Doctor climbed out, giving both Evy and Martha a hand. Both women had made it to safety, when Solomon hesitated. He saw Frank pick up a metal bar to hold the pig men off.

"Frank!" Solomon shouted as he climbed the ladder. The tunnel was quickly filling with pig men. Frank looked behind him, and seeing the others had made it, tossed the bar aside and ran towards the ladder, climbing it as well. The pig men took this as an opportunity to charge.

Solomon, already up, along with the Doctor, reached back down and held out a hand for Frank, "C'mon, Frank! C'mon!"

"I've got ya," the Doctor added, "C'mon!"

Evy, noticing the commotion and filled with panic, tried to go help, but Martha held her back. "C'mon Frank!" She yelled, hoping the young man could hear her.

Down below, the pig men swarmed the bottom of the ladder and reached out, grabbing Frank, who was still clinging to a screaming Doctor and Solomon, and pulled him back down into the sewer.

"Frank!" Solomon shouted.

"No!" the Doctor called, moving to head back down, when Solomon shoved him aside, sending him sprawling on the floor, and closed the lid to the sewer before a pig man climbed up.

"We can't go after him." He said, panting slightly with effort.

"What the hell do you mean, we can't?!" Evy shrieked, finally shaking off Martha's restraining grip at the same time the Doctor shouted-"We gotta go back down!", scrambling for the manhole cover.

"No, I'm not losing anybody else!" Solomon glared at both of them, pulling the Doctor off the cover and pushing away Evy. "Those creatures were from Hell! From Hell itself!

Martha had retreated against the back wall- and none of them noticed the showgirl creeping up on them.

"If we go after them, they'll take us all!" Solomon said, and the Doctor panted, staring at him with an equally shocked and surprised expression. Evy had given up, knowing the truth of Solomon's words but hating it, taking a seat by Martha on an old orange crate.

"There's nothing we can do." Solomon said, looking down and wiping his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Alright then," a showgirl called, jumping out from behind a shelf with a gun in her hand, pointing it at each of them. "Put 'em up!"

Martha's hands shot up instantly. "Hands in the air and no funny business," the showgirl added, cocking the gun and indicating what she wanted. Evy sighed wearily, leaning her head against the back of a shelf and putting her own hands over her head. The Doctor and Solomon did so too, slowly.

_God, what next, _Evy thought, wanting to either laugh hysterically, or cry, or both, but too tired to manage either. _A horde of Daleks? The Sycorax mothership? _

"Now tell me, you schmucks," The Showgirl said, her eyes narrowing in calculation, "What've you done with Lazlo?"

"Uh, who's Lazlo?" Martha asked, confused, lowering her arms slightly.

The woman fell back into a seat, disappointed, the gun still aimed at them. "Lazlo's my boyfriend. Or was my boyfriend until two weeks ago. No letter, no goodbye, no nothin'. And I'm not stupid," she added, waving the gun at them and herself. "I know some guys are just pigs but not my Lazlo."

Evy nearly choked at the irony of that statement, considering what they'd just fled from.

" I mean," The girl continued, "What kinda guy asks you to meet his mother before he vamooses?"

"It might...might just help if you put _that_ down," the Doctor nodded at the gun, looking at it very warily, as though it would fly out of the girl's hand and bite him.

"Huh?" The girl said, confused for a moment, before she looked down and realized she was still holding it. "Oh, sure," she tossed it onto a chair, making the Doctor flinch away. She laughed.

"Oh, c'mon. It's not real. It's just a prop. It was either that or a spear."

Evy smiled. "Well, I can't argue with that. Who's gonna be afraid of a spear?"

The blonde chuckled, turning to fix her make up in the mirror of the vanity she sat at. "My thoughts exactly."

"What do you think happened to Lazlo?" Martha asked, pushing forward from behind the Doctor.

"I wish I knew." She said, abruptly cutting off fixing her make-up, mood instantly soured. "One minute he's there, the next, zip, vanished."

"Listen, ah...what's your name?" the Doctor began.

"Tallulah."

"Tallulah..." he nodded.

"3 Ls and an H." Tallulah added.

"Right," he nodded his head slowly again, "Um, we can try to find Lazlo, but he's not the only one."

"There are more people disappearing every night," Martha elaborated.

"And there are creatures," Solomon added, "Such creatures."

"Whaddaya mean 'creatures?'" Tallulah asked, eying them suspiciously.

Evy rolled her eyes. "We mean _creatures_. You know; scary monsters, things that go-"

"Look," the Doctor cut her off, giving Evy a look that clearly said _shut up_ _and stop it_- "Listen, just trust me. Everyone is in danger. I need to find out exactly what this is," he pulled the green, now somewhat dry blob out of his pocket, "Because then I'll know _exactly_ what we're fighting."

"Yech!" Tallulah said, leaning back away from the blob.

"We know," Martha and Evy said in unison.

"And if we're going to do that," The Doctor continued, heading towards the prop room, "Then we're going to need a DNA scanner."

Evy followed him out, picking up various useful looking items as they passed through the shelvesfulls of stored junk. "Do you want help?" She asked casually, turning to examine a broken radio.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "You can make one?"

Evy laughed. "Hell, no. But I helped you fix an advanced alien ship- I think I can figure out the wiring for a DNA scanner." Seeing his doubtful look, Evy arched an eyebrow, in this area, at least, confident enough to resume some self-assurance. "Come on, Doctor, I don't just fix things, I can build things too. After all, who built the device that got you into the mess prior to this one?"

"I love you," he said, smiling as he began sorting through junk alongside her.

Evy smiled back, concealing the start she felt at that statement. How easy it was to forget her secret, if only for a moment-

%

Solomon walked over to Evy, who, seeing him, stood up from her crouch over the tiny pile of scavenged parts. "How about this?" He asked, proffering an old radio. "I found it backstage."

"That's perfect Solomon, thanks," Evy smiled at him, taking the radio, "We just need the capacitors," she pried it apart, "Just need to rig up a crude little DNA scanner..."

"If we can get a chromosomal reading, I'll find out where it's from," the Doctor added, coming over and pointing the sonic screwdriver at the radio's insides, helping Evy along. He did have a few more years of practical experience- several hundred more, in fact.

"How about you, Doctor?" Solomon asked, eyeing him and Evy working side-by-side, "Where are the two of you from? I've been all over. I've never heard anybody talk like you and that girl. Just exactly who are you?"

"Oh, I'm just sort of passing by," he mumbled, blowing dust off of the capacitator as Evy left the radio to him.

"I'm with him," Evy added, not looking up from the pile of parts she'd returned to.

"I'm not a fool, Doctor," Solomon stated, clearly unimpressed by the vague statements.

"No," he paused a moment, looking up from the radio; realizing how that came across. "Sorry."

Solomon sighed and walked over to the sewer lid, looking at it. Evy looked up from her sorting, ears perking up. "I was so scared, Doctor. I let them take Frank 'cos I was just too scared. I gotta get back to Hooverville. With these creatures on the loose, we gotta protect ourselves. Ain't no one else gonna help us."

"Good luck," The Doctor said quietly. Evy rocked back onto her heels, sending him a sad smile from across the room instead of speaking.

"I hope you find what you're looking for," Solomon said to both of them. "For all our sakes."

The two watched him leave, the Doctor in particular, before turning back to the problem of the makeshift DNA scanner.

%

They finally got it working just before Tallulah's show was set to start, and Martha, appearing with almost perfect timing, dragged Evy off to watch, so the Doctor was forced to make the final preperations on his own.

The only thing the scanner needed now was a beam of light to really get it going, which explained why the Doctor and the crude little machine were now crammed on a balcony by the stage, the curious little blob hooked up to the scanner- it was the perfect place to get to one of the stage lights.

The Doctor reached out and moved one of the lights to settle on the blob and slipped on his glasses, ready to examine it.

"That's it," he muttered to himself, "Let's warm you up."

%

Below him, though he wasn't paying any attention, the show was beginning. Both Martha and Evy watched from one of the wings, waiting for the curtain to rise.

Awkwardly, Evy fingered the hem of her shirt- still the sequined silver tank she'd put on to go clubbing last night. Or was it tonight?

"So," she began. "What did Tallulah talk about?"

"Oh." Martha thought a moment. "We talked about missing her boyfriend."

"Well, I wouldn't know anything about that," Evy muttered, thinking of all the times she'd made out with a UNIT soldier, and yet how she still lacked a serious relationship. Even with Ross.

"What?" Martha asked, surprised.

Evy dropped the hem of her shirt and blushed, embarrassed and caught off guard. Luckily, though, she was saved from having to answer but the MC's voice.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! The Laurenzi is proud to present Tallulah and the Dancing Devils, with Heaven and Hell!"

There was enthusiastic applause as the curtains parted to reveal the chorus line in their red devil dresses. They pulled back their red feather fans to reveal Tallulah, an angel in white.

Smiling prettily, Tallulah sashayed up to the microphone, her dance drawing scattered applause as she began to sing.

%

Back in the balcony, the Doctor frowned as he analyzed the blob, rubbing one thumb across the surface as he gently probed it.

"This is artificial." He murmured to himself, adjusting a knob on the mass of wires.

"Genetically engineered." He glanced down at the screen displaying the readings. "Whoever did this, oh, you're clever."

%

"You lured me in with your cold grey eyes, your simple smile, your bewitching lies." Tallulah sang, as Evy watched beside Martha, both of them enjoying the performance.

"One and one and one is three. My bad, bad angel, the Devil and me. You put the devil in me. You put the devil in me. You put the devil in me. My bad, bad angel, you put the Devil in me."

Tallulah danced a bit as she finished singing, retreating back into the surrounds of the chorus. Evy watched, giving the show her full attention- but Martha caught sight of something in the opposite wing. Moving to get a better view, she squinted to see in the dim lighting.

"Martha?" Evy asked, noticing her restlessness. "What's wrong?"

Martha didn't answer. Realizing that the person standing in the other wing was a pig-man, she attempted to cross the stage unnoticed, hiding behind the dancers.

"Martha, what are you doing?!" Evy hissed in confusion. From behind a dancer, Martha pointed over toward the opposite wing. Evy's eyes widened as she saw the pig-man.

Martha continued to sneak carefully across the stage- before accidentally grabbing a devil's tail, making them both fall. "What are you doing?!" Tallulah exclaimed as the fallen devil tried to regain her feet, hampered by Martha's standing on her tail.

"You're on my tail," she muttered angrily at her. "Get off my tail!"

%

By now, the Doctor had taken out and put a stethoscope on the blob, simultaneously reading the string of results on the scanner.

"Fundemental DNA type 467-989." He murmered, taking off the stethoscope and rubbing at his eyes as he put it back in his pocket.

"989… hold on, that means planet of origin…" And then it hit him, his eyes snapping open. "Skaro."

Grabbing the sonic from the device matrix, he took off running.

%

On stage, the choreography of Tallulah's act had fallen into chaos, and the audience was laughing uproariously.

"Get off the stage," Tallulah yelled at Martha, making shooing motions with her hands. "You're spoilin' it!"

"But look!" Martha yelled back, pointing at the pig-man. "Over there!"

Tallulah, seeing the pig-man, shrieked in horror. The pig-man, realizing he'd been spotted, turned and ran. The other girls, catching sight of the fleeing creature, began shrieking as well.

"Hey!" Martha yelled, taking off after it.

"_Martha!_" Evy called indignantly after her. Sighing, she glanced behind her, then back at the stage. "I'm probably going to regret this," she muttered to herself, and took off after her.

Catching up to Martha, they chased the fleeing pig-man through the backstage.

"Wait!" Martha called after the figure, panting slightly. Evy herself was breathing hard. "But you're different from the others! Just wait!" Martha continued to yell as they followed the pig-man through a door and into the prop room.

Around them, they heard the echo of the entrance to the sewers clanging shut. Frustrated, Martha put her hands on her hips and glanced around, panting as she did so. Evy closed her eyes, clasping her hands and placing them on top of her head in an attempt to open up her airways and calm down her heavy breathing.

Neither of them noticed the two pig-man stealthily creeping up on them- until they was right on top of them. One seized Martha's bicep, clamping his other hand over Martha's mouth to muffle her scream, the other grabbing Evy by both wrists.

Evy shrieked, both she and Martha twisting and struggling in vain against the pig-men's iron grip.

"Doctor!"

%

It was chaos as the Doctor darted through the main level, the stage girls running around in a panic, some holding each other as they talked about some strange creature they'd seen.

"Where are they?" the Doctor called anxiously to Tallulah as he reached her, grabbing her arm. "Where's Martha and Evy?"

"I don't know!" Tallulah said, "She ran off the stage and that other girl followed her."

Suddenly there was a muffled scream, followed by a terrified shriek of 'Doctor!'.

Instantly, he knew that both Martha and Evy were in serious trouble. He ran in the direction of the screaming, to the prop room, only to see that both women were gone.

"Martha!" he called, running into the room and looking around. "Evy!"

He looked down to see the sewer lid had been moved, and grabbed his coat, putting it on and moving the lid.

"Oh, where are you goin'?" Tallulah asked, having followed him out of both curiosity and apprehension.

"They've taken them," He awnsered, shoving the sewer lid aside and beginning to climb down into the sewer itself.

"_Who's_ taken them?" Tallulah, said, frightened. The Doctor didn't answer, just kept climbing down. "What're y' doin'?" She continued, exasperated. "I said, what the hell are ya doin'? Crazy guy..." Tallulah muttered, looking around before finding a long coat to cover her costume and following him down.

%

Evy was fairly certain this was the most afraid she had ever been in her life. After all, if she'd been kidnapped before, it hadn't been under circumstances right out of a slasher flick. Both she and Martha shrieked and struggled as the pig men dragged them through the tunnels. Literally- or almost literally- dragged; neither of them were going at all quietly.

"No!" Martha shouted, struggling, as the pig men grunted and ignored her. "Let us go!"

Then, suddenly, they were let go- and unceremoniously thrown into the wall. Martha cried out as her wrist smacked the stone, and clutched at it. Both of them huddled back, grabbing each other's hand as one of their captors shoved his snout into their face, grunting and snorting. More pig men entered with other humans, most of whom were unresisting, either to terrified or to intimidated to fight back.

"Evy!" One of them called. "Martha!"

"Frank!" Evy called back, fighting her way over and embracing him. "You're alive!" She breathed.

"Hey," he smiled, returning the hug.

"We thought we'd lost you," Evy managed to get out, before a pig man shoved them roughly apart, forcing them to keep walking. Evy slipped and nearly fell, saving herself by clutching at Frank's arm, which she still held.

"Alright!" Martha shouted, catching Evy and not liking being pushed herself, "Alright, we're moving."

The pig grunted and shoved them into a single file line. They complied, Evy clinging to Frank's and so hard her knuckles were white.

"Wait," Frank said quietly, trying to avoid the pig-men's notice, "Where are they taking us?"

"I don't know," Martha said, trying to project confidence into her voice, "But we can find out what's going on down here."

As they were shuffled along in silence down the tunnels, Evy loosed her grip just a fraction. Then, abruptly, the pig men finally stopped them, shoving all of their prisoners into a compact huddle. Now they were just standing there, waiting, in a section of the tunnel.

"What are they keeping us here for?" Frank asked out loud.

"I don't know," Evy said, realizing how tightly she'd been holding Frank's hand and gently dropping it.

"I've just got a nasty feeling that we're being kept in the larder," Martha added, trying desperately to find a way out of their predicament.

Suddenly, a light flicked down the tunnel, and the pig men started squealing nervously, jostling their prisoners.

%

Down the corridor, Tallulah behind him, the Doctor saw a shadow filter along the wall- what was making the pig men so anxious.

His eyes widened as he saw the all-too familiar shape- before his face went dead. A mask.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. They survived. They always survive while I lose everything."

%

"What're they doing?" Frank frowned, looking around frantically. "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"Silence! Silence!" A gravelly, metallic voice echoed off to their right- as a lone Dalek glided into the tunnel.

Evy froze, catching sight of it. Instantly, though she had never seen one personally and hoped never to do so, she knew what it was.

"Oh, god." She whimpered, drawing back against the slimy wall in a vain attempt to evade the thing. "We're screwed. So very, very screwed."

"What?" Martha asked, in a hushed tone of voice. "What is that thing?"

Evy had come very quickly to the conclusion that the Universe had a sick and twisted sense of humor. "It's a Dalek," She whispered, terrified.

"And what's a Dalek?" Martha asked, glancing over at it.

Evy opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, The Dalek moved toward them, speaking to the prisoners- but ordering the pig men at the same time. "You will form a line. Move."

Immediately, the pig men began to shove the prisoners into a single row parallel to the wall- while all of them resisted.

Evy swallowed hard. "A Dalek- it's a creature of hate; existing only to destroy everything and everyone that isn't a Dalek. It won't stop killing; it will _never_ stop, and there's no way to stop it."

Martha looked around at the men trying to resist the pig men, a stricken expression on her face. "Just do what it says, everyone," she yelled, realizing what could happen. If what Evy said was true, the Dalek wouldn't hesitate to kill any who resisted. "Ok? Just obey."

Gradually, the prisoners fell into line and stopped resisting.

"The female is wise," the Dalek announced, swerving to directly face the prisoners. "Obey!"

Just then, another Dalek entered the tunnel. "Report!" The new one demanded.

"There's more?" Evy whispered incredulously as she saw the other one, and clutched at Martha's hand for comfort. But beyond her fear, she was supremely confused. All the Daleks were gone- either in the void or destroyed by her mother and the Doctor on the Game Station. Except- Evy's eyes widened as she realized just who those Daleks likely were. _The Cult of Skaro. _

"_Shit_!" She breathed. Martha gave her a questioning look.

"These are strong specimens," the first Dalek was stating to the second, "They will help the Dalek cause. What is the status of the Final Experiment?"

Silently, both Evy and Martha watched-Martha carefully listening, while Evy reeled from the implications of her realization, her fists clenching and unclenching as she tried to contain the primal rage she felt.

These creatures were why her life was so lonely, without hardly any family or freinds. All she really wanted to do was start attacking them; to rip them apart piece by piece, not stand quietly and meekly in line, marching off to whatever fate they wanted.

"Final Experiment?" Martha mouthed, to herself. Beside her, Evy could have been in a coma, except for the constant pressure on her hand.

"The Dalekanium is in place," the second Dalek reported, "The energy conductor is now complete."

"Then I will extract prisoners for selection," the first Dalek turned to face the line of people, a pig man pushing an older black man forward. The Dalek extended his sucker towards the man's face and scanned him, "Intelligence scan. Initiate. Reading brain waves. Low intelligence."

"You calling me stupid?" the man glared at the Dalek.

"Silence! This one will become a pig slave. Next!" the first Dalek stated as two pig men pulled him away. struggling as he went. "No! Let go of me! I'm not becoming one of them!"

The Dalek barely gave any notice as it moved onto the next man, "Intelligence scan. Initiate."

This continued on as the Dalek moved down the line, eventually reaching Frank.

"Superior intelligence,"

Martha wasn't sure whether this was a good or bad thing, but had little time to contemplate it before the Dalek turned to her. "Intelligence scan. Initiate. Superior intelligence."

And finally it turned to Evy. She screwed her eyes shut, gripping Martha's hand tightly enough to crush it as she held her breath, praying that the Dalek's scan wouldn't detect the very obvious fact that she had double the normal amount of hearts. "Optimal intelligence," the Dalek replied after a moment of scanning.

Evy winced, and hoped that the Doctor would simply associate the Dalek's verdict with her 'unknown alien parent' story.

And, when no further analysis or shouts of 'Time Lord!' appeared, she also silently thanked her lucky stars that the Daleks had, apparently, only scanned brainwave activity and nothing else. Evy had little knowledge of just _how _Gallifreyan she was- but any full body scan and her secret would be a secret no longer.

"This one will become part of the Final Experiment," the Dalek continued.

"You can't just experiment on people!" Martha shouted, realizing what they were planning to do with the superior intelligence people, "It's insane! It's inhuman!"

"They're not human," Evy reminded her, shivering as she stared at down the Dalek's eyestalk- remembering what these things were capable of; what they had caused. "Not remotely human."

"Correct," the Dalek agreed, dismissing them and turning to direct an order at the pig slaves. "Prisoners of high intelligence will be taken to the transgenic laboratory."

"Transgenetic," Evy whispered to herself, her eyes widening as she analyzed the word, and realized what that meant. The pig slaves- human and pig DNA, somehow combined to create the creatures that served the Daleks. But if those were the discarded humans-

However, her thoughts were interrupted as the pig slaves once again began shoving their captives to separate them into the designated groups and into line, down another tunnel. Martha and Evy continued to hold hands tightly as they were prodded down the corridor behind the two Daleks.

As the ragged line passed a tunnel junction, the Doctor slipped into line. "Just keep walking," the Doctor muttered. Evy and Martha dropped hands in surprise, half-turning to see him behind them.

"I'm so glad to see you," Martha exclaimed quietly.

"Yeah, well, you can kiss me later," he replied. "You too, Evy. Even you, Frank, if you want." he glanced over to see Evy, who was still in her semi-shocked state, fists clenched, and very, very pale in the dim light of the tunnel. He frowned. "Are you alright, Evy?"

Evy shook her head.

"Daleks," she said by way of explanation, her voice no less full of fear and anger for its hushed tone. "It's the _bloody_ Daleks! I know about them- and frankly, I hoped to _never_ meet one, much less _two_."

_Or four- wherever the other two are. _Evy added in her head._ And now that I have met them, I really, really want to take them apart._

The Doctor nodded in understanding, giving her now-free hand a squeeze of reassurance. "It'll be fine," He said quietly.

As they were marched down the tunnels, Evy fervently hoped he knew what he was talking about.

%

As their progress slowed, the prisoners were lead into an enormous laboratory, especially considering its' location. Steel tables full of smoking beakers, test tubes, glass coils, and beakers of mysterious liquids littered the place- and yet another Dalek stood at the entrance.

"Report," the first Dalek commanded.

_Well, there's three, _Evy thought, seeing the new Dalek. _There were four Daleks in the Cult of Skaro, Mum told me, so-_

"Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution," the third Dalek reported, his eyestalk indicating another, immobile Dalek deeper inside the lab.

"So that makes four," Evy mumbled. So it _was _the Cult of Skaro. She reflected on the supreme irony of that- her Mum's last real monsters with the Doctor were her first. _Trial by fire, _she thought sarcastically. _Grand. Mum gets the Nestene Consciousness and a homicidal, spoiled, catty skin trampoline; I get cryptic, creepy alien ambassadors overly concerned with my future and _Daleks_. _

"Scan him," the first Dalek ordered, "Prepare for birth."

"Evolution?" the Doctor repeated, frowning in curiosity as he tried to get a better look.

"What's wrong with old Charlie boy over there?" Martha asked quietly, nodding at the immobile Dalek.

"Ask them."

"What, me?" Martha replied incredulously, gaping at him. "Don't be daft."

"I don't exactly want to get noticed," He pointed out. "Just ask them what's going on."

Martha bit her lower lip, mustering her courage, before hesitantly stepping out of line.

"Daleks, I demand to be told," Martha called out, managing to keep her voice steady, in between gasping breaths. The Daleks turned toward her, one slowly gliding away from the group as the others turned back to Dalek Sec.

"What is this… Final Experiment?" Martha asked, composure rapidly deteriorating as she eyed the Dalek now directly in front of her. "Report!"

"Nice," Evy whispered, finding new admiration for the women beside her.

"_You_ will bear witness," the first Dalek replied to her, almost contemptuously.

"To what?" Martha asked.

"This is the dawn of a new age." The Dalek answered, swiveling back to the now smoking Dalek Sec, before swiveling back to fully face Martha again. The Doctor's eyes narrowed in thought- and Evy hit on something.

"Evolution," She whispered. The Doctor's eyes widened as he realized what she meant.

"What does that mean?" Martha queried- glancing back slightly at the Doctor.

"We are the only four Daleks," The Dalek continued. "So the species must evolve a life outside the shell. The Children of Skaro must walk again." Then it backed up, abandoning the prisoners to attend to the vibrating shell of Dalek Sec.

Evy felt her anger swell again. After what the Daleks had done- after what they had caused, across the universe and for her- how dared they attempt to rebuild? To continue, when they had killed and ended so many and so much?

She watched in fascinated horror as Dalek Sec's shell powered down and the casings split- allowing a staggering figure to climb out. She cringed back slightly, reaching for the Doctor's hand.

The thing straightened- revealing a human-Dalek hybrid, dressed in the unmistakable clothing of Mr. Diagoras- with the mouth, one eye, and tentacles of a Dalek- but his hands were almost claw-like and he was humanoid in stature.

"What is it?" Martha asked in terror and disgust as the figure straightened- the other three Daleks backing well away from their fellow.

"I… am… a human-Dalek," Dalek Sec replied slowly, carefully enunciating each word, as if it was unfamiliar to speak in such a way. "I… am your future!"


	20. Gone

Rose woke up abruptly, bolting upright as her heart raced and breathing heavily. She was covered in sweat, and her hair was a tangled mess that didn't bear thinking about.

The queen size bed was a ruin- the sheets rumpled and twisted this way and that, the blankets and comforter sideways and half off the bed; one pillow had fallen off the bed altogether, and slumped against the side of the bedframe like a defeated soldier.

Even in the dark, she could fuzzily see the outline of the room- door to the bathroom, door to the hall, dresser against the far wall, window with the blinds drawn, nightstands and shelves on either side of the bed; chair, side table, and lamp by the window.

Gradually, her breathing calmed down, and she swung her legs over the side of the bed, toes seeking the floor, and stood up.

Feet silent on the soft carpet, Rose walked quietly over to the cushy armchair and sat down, curling her feet up and leaning on one arm, staring out the window. She didn't turn on the light- she didn't need it and she didn't want it.

The dark was better.

Once again, Rose felt the pain tear at her heart, ripping shreds out of it and bringing slient, burning hot tears to her eyes. Her soul cried out for him to just _come back- _she missed him so much.

After all this, after fourteen years there, two here, what had she to show for her efforts and sacrifices? Their efforts and sacrifices? Nothing but a daughter who was trapped in a life of confusion, loneliness and usage, and a heart that ached as much as it had when he'd left her on that beach.

But at least she still had their baby girl- the little lie she'd made our of neccessity, and intensly regreted-

Then it struck her, and Rose was terrified that she now knew why she'd been woken up so abruptly.

She couldn't feel Evy anywhere. With a strangled gasp and a prayer that she was wrong, Rose pushed herself off the chair and ran down the hall to Evy's room before she could stop herself.

It was a cliche she'd never believed in; that Mothers could tell when their children were around or in danger. But when Evy had been born, she'd been forced to reconsider.

It wasn't anything psychic, so much; just more of like a hyperawareness of another living being's presence. But whatever it was, when Evy was around, Rose could always tell.

Reaching her daughter's room, Rose flipped on the light switch- only to reveal a neatly made bed that hadn't been slept in, in the corner of a not-so-neat room. Taking a deep breath, Rose tried to stifle her panic as she reminded herself that Evy had been sleeping over with a freind tonight. With a slightly trembling hand, she flipped the light back off and make her way, shakily, to the kitchen.

_See, Rose? _She thought. _Just call Evy on her cell, and make sure she's okay. Then you can ease your fears and go back to bed. _

In the kitchen, she reached for their dated phone, only to realize that the message light was blinking, like an SOS signal. Rose swallowed, forcing herself to remain calm.

_It's probably nothing. Just remain calm._

Shakily, she picked up the phone, and pressed the buttons to listen to her messages. The first message was left only three hours ago.

Trembling with the effort to maintain calm, Rose raised the aged phone to her ear. The sound of her daughter's voice echoed over the line.

"Mum- It's Evy. 'Course, you probably figured that." There was a pause. "I just- I'm alright. I just need to tell you that- I'm probably going to be- absent- for a while." There was Another pause, and Rose's heart stopped, her mind playing all of the horrible situations Evy could have found herself in. But her daughter's next words restarted her heart- and made it simultanously leap with joy and sink with heavy foreboding.

" I found him, mum, can you believe that?" Weak laugh. "Me, who never looked for him a day in my life. As- as impossible as this is; I'm in his ship. Right now. It's wonderful, mum; even more than your stories."

Rose clutched at the phone, desperate for an explination, for information. This was not planned for- and this could go so very, very wrong.

"I haven't told him yet- he doesn't know. I think- that you should. When he sees you again.I don't know when I'll be back- I remember about his bad driving." Another weak laugh from Evy, and Rose smiled involentarily, remembering how Evy had loved her stories. "I'm sorry for lying about the club- really." Rose's small smile flipped into a frown. How could Evy risk herself- but then she reminded herself of the priorities here.

"I love you, mum. I love you." Evy said in a whisper, her sincerity ringing in every word before the message ended. Rose nearly dropped the phone as she put it down and clutched at the counter to steady herself. She felt so dizzy- a sure sign she had stopped breathing sometime during the playback.

But as she glupped oxygen into her lungs and steadied her weaving body, her mind was racing ahead. She knew what she had to do.

* * *

Snippets of memory played through Rose's head on a continuous loop as she walked purposefully through the apartment, gathering materials she knew she would need and materials she was sure would come in handy; packing them all into a simple, utliltarial blue backpack.

Three changes of basic clothes- jeans, t-shirts, hoodie. A water bottle, her small field first aid kit from UNIT. Not much else- but she didn't need much else.

Her eyes drifted to the right, to a small table with several photos placed neatly in black frames.

They were mostly pictures of Evy; from Pete's world; photos that had made the trip across the void shoved in a folder of fake paperwork.

Evy riding her new Christmas bicycle in Pete's house, Evy with Mickey next to a river, Evy staring intently at a small yellow flower. Rose moved closer and took a photo from the back in her hands.

The picture in the frame showed Evy and her, a few weeks before they crossed to this universe, crouched over a huge book next to the fireplace. They were both smiling wide smiles, and they seemed happier than ever.

Rose didn't know long it would take for her to find her daughter. Maybe, although she refused to think like that, she wouldn't find her at all. Maybe Evy would find her. Maybe he would find her. She had no idea what would happen, but she wanted to hold on to her daughter's image for as long as possible. She removed the picture from the frame and dropped it in her backpack.

Rose zipped the backpack closed. She inhaled a deep, shaking breath, and carefully slid the pack over her shoulder, sliding both arms securely through the straps.

What she was about to do was dangerous and probably insanely stupid- but it was an act born of sheer desperation. All of her attempts to find the Doctor had failed- and Rose had long ago sworn on that godforsaken beach, that she would find him. Her daughter, her Evy, was gone- and she had no other choice.

How like the Game Station. Once again, she was risking everything for one man- and now her daughter. That day seemed so long ago now- and, in her own time, it was.

Rose let her eyes flutter shut.

The Doctor may have thought he'd taken all the energy from her; sacrificed his life to save hers- but he hadn't. Rose had started noticing the changes after she'd been stranded- she didn't age. She healed faster than was humanly possible. She could understand languages and science and technology that no one had ever heard of. And she could do- _things. _

Dangerous things. After the first few incidents, in which she'd found herself in the most random locations with only a spilting headache and a memory blank, she'd tried as best she could to ignore what the Bad Wolf had made her.

Rose's eyes snapped open- and they glowed gold. Silently, the golden eyes concentrated on seemingly empty space- and there, slowly, a rift began to open.

The golden eyes turned to the table of photographs, and the small photo of the Doctor Evy had shyly given her as a Mother's Day present years ago. She picked it up, and kissed the Doctor's image softly through the glass.

"I'm coming," she whispered. "I promise I'll find you. Both of you." Tenderly, she slid the photo out of the frame, setting the frame precariously on the edge of the table.

And with a silent prayer, the part of Rose still thinking normally breathed in deeply and stepped through the portal. The rift closed behind her as she passed, leaving no trace of her dissappearance but a shattered, empty photo frame and a feeling of emptiness.


	21. Daleks

**I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! Wasn't the special awesome?- More Evy is on the way! In order to be done by New Year's Day, I'll try to update twice a day. Just a small request- please check back often and review as normal! Love, Wings. **

* * *

These…humans will become like me," Dalek Sec said slowly, raising a hand to point at the ragged group of prisoners.

"Like hell," Evy muttered. She looked back, and saw the Doctor trying to slip away, unnoticed, behind some machinery. She opened her mouth to ask a question, only to have him put a finger to his lips. Carefully, Evy closed her mouth and arched an eyebrow.

_What are you up to?_

"Prepare them for hybridization."

The other Daleks swiveled, watching as the pig slaves leapt to obey. The pig men moved closer to the prisoners, grabbing them. The prisoners, stunned by what they had just witnessed didn't react until the pig men grabbed them. Even Martha was to shocked to react until a pig men had her by the arm.

"Leave me alone! Don't you dare!" Martha shrieked.

Evy was absorbed in watching the Doctor, wondering what on Earth he was doing- until another pig men dragged her forward with the others. "Oh, Hell, no!" Evy shrieked, kicking and struggling in the pig men's grasp as she was pulled forward.

Suddenly 'Happy Days are Here Again' began to play and everything stopped dead. Evy's gaze flew to where she'd seen the Doctor disappear.

"No way," She whispered to herself.

Everyone, pig men, prisoners, and Daleks all glanced around, wondering where the music was coming from. Particularly Dalek Sec.

"What is that sound?" He demanded, looking around curiously.

The Doctor ducked out from behind the machinery he'd hidden behind, holding a radio, still playing. "Well…That would be me," he smirked at them, putting the radio down by a lit Bunsen burner.

"Hello. Surprise. Boo. Et cetera."

Evy couldn't help it- she smiled, and smothered a laugh. That was the Doctor she'd come to find- that was who her mother talked about. The Doctor who was sarcastic and funny while staring down an enemy that could and would likely kill him- and them- in an instant.

"Doctor," Dalek Sec acknowledged.

"The enemy of the Daleks," the first Dalek shouted. Evy rolled her eyes, and the Doctor waited patiently, not saying anything. Wasn't this a little redundant for super hating killing machines?

_In all of the Dalek stories. Every single one- The Doctor, the enemy of the Daleks. Don't you think they'd get over it and skip to-_

"Exterminate," the second Dalek called.

_That part._ Evy struggled a little more in the grip of the pig slave, hatred resurfacing over her internal sarcasm.

"Wait," Dalek Sec ordered, hands outspread to halt any move the other Daleks might make. Instantly, Evy stopped her futile struggling, caught by surprise. _Well, this is new. _

"Well, then," the Doctor said, eyeing Dalek Sec as he walked towards him. "A new form of Dalek. Fascinating and very clever."

"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter." Dalek Sec spat.

"How did you end up in 1930?" he asked, raising an eyebrow

"Emergency. Temporal. Shift." Dalek Sec said the words one at a time, as though forcing them out. Evy frowned in concentration, trying to remember exactly what that meant from a lifetime of absorbed technical jargon. The phrase was familiar.

The Doctor scoffed, seemingly amused. "Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells, yeah?"

He looked around at their pitiful forms, which had surrounded him, turning around and walking back toward the prisoners. "Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world. But instead you're skulking away, hidden in the dark, experimenting." He turned to look back appraisingly at Dalek Sec. "All of which results in you."

"I am Dalek in human form." Dalek Sec said hurriedly. Evy furrowed her brow. It almost sounded as if he was trying to convince himself, and not his adversary.

The Doctor stared, darkly and calculatingly, at the figure of the human-Dalek. "What does it feel like?" he asked quietly. "You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, isn't it? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now."

"I…feel…humanity," Dalek Sec said after a moment, turning away from the Doctor's penetrating, inescapable gaze.

"Good," The Doctor nodded, sounding surprised. "That's good."

After another moment Dalek Sec spoke again, "I…feel…everything we wanted from mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression, and war. Such…a genius for war." As he spoke, the Doctor's curiosity and surprise hardened back into his former expression of concealed hatred and disgust.

"No," The Doctor said firmly, shaking his head. "That's not what humanity means."

"I think it does," Evy grimaced at Dalek Sec's words as he ran right over the Doctor's. She could swear he was smirking- and it was very grating. The Doctor had a doubtful and waried expression on his face- the sort of look a confirmed believer gets when he talks to an atheist.

"At heart, this species is so very…Dalek."

"Alright, so what have you achieved then?" the Doctor shouted, finally beginning to get exasperated, and allowing his anger through his mask. Evy watched silently. "With this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing! 'Cos I can show you what you're missing with this thing," he walked over to the radio, pointing at it, "Simple little radio…" he said, patting the top of it.

"What is the purpose of that device?" the second Dalek said, watching him carefully; warily. Evy coughed to hide a sarcastic laugh.

"Well, exactly, it plays music. What's the point of that?" He said, sarcasm suffusing his voice and tone. "Oh, with music, you can dance to it, sing with it, fall in love to it." He turned to say the last point directly into a Dalek's eyepiece, and Evy felt a stab of anguish. He still mourned her mother as lost- and he didn't have to. For a moment, Evy seemed to feel a great loss, as if a heavy pain in her soul, and she knew how much the Doctor must mourn his lost Rose.

"Unless you're a Dalek of course…" He was saying.

He didn't have to be so lonely- she could tell him right after they got out of this, and he'd go back and find her mum, and then-

"Then it's just noise," the Doctor finished, aiming the sonic screwdriver at the radio.

And then she was struck again by the sense that such a thing, now, would be wrong. Wrong, now- but not- but not-

Evy was jolted out of her particular and sudden sensitively by a horrendous, high pitched wail that emanated from it, causing the Daleks to jerk back and Dalek Sec to cover his ears in pain along with the pig men.

"Run!" the Doctor shouted, leading the group of prisoners through the doors as the Daleks defaulted to protect their creation, leaving the prisoners to escape.

Martha and Evy wrenched themselves free and followed. They ran through the sewers, Martha in the lead till they came to a crossing. She stopped, looking around, unsure. Evy skidded to a stop beside her.

"Oh, not this again," She moaned, when the Doctor rushed past, retaking the lead.

"Come on! Move, move, move, move, move!" Evy grinned and took off beside him. Once again, the running literally, on adrenaline. It was addictive.

Behind them, they could hear the grunts and snorts of the pig slaves and the mechanics of the Daleks- and as they fled around the next corner, they darted past the missing Tallulah.

"Tallulah!" Evy shouted, grabbing for the woman's coat with her free hand but missing. "Run!"

Then she looked down in surprise at her left hand- which was now firmly held by the Doctor, who was seemingly oblivious. _When did that-?_

"What's happened to Lazlo?" Tallulah shouted, looking around as Martha grabbed her and pulled her away.

"C'mon!" the Doctor yelled, seeing a ladder and motioning for everyone to climb up, as he dropped Evy's hand "Everyone up!"

Evy obeyed, trying not to feel as though she'd been forgotten- or that she had wanted and valued that contact as much as she had. Instead, she focused on climbing, using immediate danger as a bulwark against thoughts she wasn't sure she wanted to think.

Slowly, the band of prisoners made their way back to Hooverville. Once they were there, as the escapees dispersed, the Doctor marched straight to Solomon, Evy, Martha, and Tallulah in tow. The three women sat down by the fire, trying to draw mutual support from each other as the Doctor fuitily tried to explain the situation to Solomon.

Huddled into her much dirtier but still warm coat, Evy watched him intently through the flames.

"These Daleks, they sound like the stuff of nightmares," Solomon remarked as they stood by the campfire. "And they wanna breed?"

"They're splicing themselves into human bodies," The Doctor replied.

"Which is pretty much the same thing," Evy commented from her position sitting on a crate next to Martha and Tallulah. The Doctor shot her another _please-shut-up-now_ look. Evy breathed in sharply and turned away as the Doctor turned back to Solomon, nodding.

"If I'm right, they've got a farm of breeding stock right here in Hooverville. We've got to get everyone out."

Evy gazed into the flames, pride stinging a little. She might not have ever done this before, but it wasn't as if she was stupid, after all. She knew what was going on, and she was _scared_, she wasn't going to deny it. All she'd been trying to do was dispel a little of her own fear with sarcasm.

"Hooverville's the lowest place a man can fall," Solomon said, shaking his head, "There's nowhere else to go."

Evy overcame her still smarting pride to shamelessly watch the two men's conversation again. Beside Solomon, Frank was doing the same thing, drawn in by Solomon's reply.

"I'm sorry, Solomon. You've got to scatter. Go anywhere. Down to the railroads, travel across state, just get out of New York."

Solomon glanced across the campfire. Now even Martha and Tallulah were watching.

"There's got to be a way to reason with these things…"

"There's not a chance," Martha scoffed.

"You ain't seen 'em, boss," Frank agreed, standing up, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"They won't listen," Evy added, closing her eyes as she sighed, "They _never_ listen. I've only just met one and I know that."

"Daleks are bad enough at anytime," the Doctor confirmed, his eyes intense and boring into Solomon's as he tried to sway the man. "But right now they're vulnerable and that makes them more dangerous than ever."

Just then a man came running into camp, a gun in his hand, "They're coming! They're coming!"

"A sentry," Solomon told them, springing into action and shifting the rifle he carried into a shooting position. "Must have seen something."

"They're here!" the sentry continued to shout, running through camp panicked as an alarm whistle began blowing. "I seen 'em! Monsters! They're monsters!"

"It's started," the Doctor breathed, knowing what was coming next.

"We're under attack!" Solomon turned to the men around him, "Everyone to arms!"

The men began running around, grabbing what guns they could from where they'd stashed them.

"I'm ready, boss!" Frank called, rushing over to them and taking a place next to Solomon, "But all o' you find a weapon! Use anything!"

Evy found herself jostled up and into the center of the circle of guns, along with the Doctor, Martha, Tallulah, and the other women and children. Out of breath from terror, she frantically turned, trying to see the source of the mounting screams.

"Come back!" Solomon shouted as various campers ran off, trying to find more weapons, "We gotta stick together! It's not safe out there! Come back!"

Suddenly, pig men were running through Hooverville, attacking anyone who got in their way or tried to escape. Each one was pushing the people back towards the center.

"We need to get out of the park," Martha looked around in concern, seeing the people being pushed back.

"We can't!" Evy shook her head, realizing where they'd gotten themselves. Smack dab in the middle of a huge trap.

"They're on all sides," the Doctor agreed, "They're driving people back towards us."

"We're trapped," Tallulah realized.

"Then we stand together," Solomon decided, "Gather 'round. Everybody come to me. You there, Jethro, Harry, Seamus, stay together," the campers crowded around, pressing together near the fire as the pig men surrounded them, "They can't take all of us."

And with that, he opened fire on the pigs, followed by anyone and everyone that had guns.

Martha looked around frantically, watching as the pig men and the campers attacked, "If we can just hold them off till daylight," she muttered hopefully, holding Evy's hand tightly as the other girl squeezed her eyes shut, trying very hard to remain calm.

"Oh, Martha," The Doctor said, the lack of inflection in his voice disturbing. "They're just the foot soliders."

Evy's eyes snapped open, looking up to see a Dalek soaring in the sky, headed directly for them. Martha saw it the same time she did.

"Oh my God." Both women breathed.

"What in this world…" Solomon's eyes widened as he saw the creature flying there.

"It's the devil," the sentry called, terror evident in his posture and shaking voice. "A devil in the sky. God save us all. It's damnation."

"Oh yeah?" Frank glared at it, recognizing it as the metal thing from the sewers, "We'll see about that!" He fired at the Dalek but did no damage.

Evy's hand shot out and shoved the barrel of the gun down, hoping the Dalek hadn't seen who'd shot at it. "Please don't do that," She whispered. "It won't work."

"There's more than one of them!" Martha whispered to the Doctor as a second Dalek joined the first, floating beside it in midair. That was all she had time to say as the pair began to attack, swooping through the air and blasting anything and everything in sight.

Fires sprang up as the Daleks fired at the makeshift shelters, and people screamed in fear or in pain as they were thrown away from the blasts and hit by the Daleks.

Evy clenched her eyes shut, huddling against Martha. It was like one of her terrible visions come to life, to reality. "Please, no," she begged, tears flowing heavily from under her closed lids.

It was just like the visions all over again, the cries of pain and of terror...she shook her head, crying. "Please! Not here…"

Martha noticed Evy sobbing, and looked over at the young girl in concern. She had just touched Evy's arm when the Daleks spoke.

"The humans will surrender!" Evy's eyes flew open as she gasped, and Martha gripped her new friend's arm more tightly, trying to lend her support.

"Leave them alone!" the Doctor shouted at the Daleks, trying desperately and in fury to stop the Dalek's rampage. "They've done nothing to you!" Solomon had begun to step forward from the huddle of people when the Doctor grabbed the man by the arm, trying to prevent him from taking the risk.

"No, Solomon. Stay back."

"I'm told that I'm addressin' the Daleks, is that right?" Solomon ignored him, focusing on the Daleks instead and gripping his rifle tightly, the only outward sign of his fear. "From what I hear, you're outcasts, too."

"Solomon, don't," The Doctor hissed angrily, knowing only to well the consequences of trying to reason with the Daleks.

"Look this is my township, you will respect my authority," Solomon glared at him. "Just let me try," He said, pushing the Doctor back gently.

"Solomon, _please_," Evy burst out suddenly, tears still streaming from her eyes as Martha held her. "There is _no_ negotiating with Daleks. They don't care- they kill anyone who defies them!"

Evy could care less at this point about the tears she was crying or how she must look. All she cared about was trying to erase the echoes of her visions, to keep anymore death from happening tonight.

Solomon stared at her, his gaze softening just a bit at her concern. "It's alright, missy." He said softly, nodding for the Doctor to join her. The Doctor shook his head sadly and stepped back, giving Evy an unreadable look as Solomon approached the Dalek again,

"Daleks…ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin?" He put his rifle down, cautiously laying the weapon on the ground, never taking his eyes off of the Daleks.

"'Cos, see, I've just discovered this past day God's Universe is a thousand times the size I thought it was. And that scares me. Oh, yeah. Terrifies me. Right down to the bone. But it's got to give me hope…hope that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So I…I beg you now if you have any compassion in your hearts then you'll meet with us and stop this fight. Well…what do you say?"

Evy knew what was coming, and sobbed a little as she quickly turned her face away into Martha's embrace.

"Exterminate!" the second Dalek declared, firing and killing him where he stood.

"No!" Frank shouted as the residents of Hooverville began to scream in panic, scattering away from what had mercilessly killed their leader. He ran towards Solomon's body. The Doctor watched, grimacing in rage.

"They killed him," Martha gaped in shock, "They just shot him on the spot."

"It's what they do," Evy replied coldly, summoning her anger once again to force away her tears. Tears had no place on a battlefield, she knew that. As she straightened, unkinking her spine, she stared at she stared at Solomon's prone form, her rage at the Daleks growing.

Not only did they hurt her, then, now- but also those who deserved no part in this. Who were, if not innocent entirely, than certainly undeserving of the Dalek's wrath. She felt her rage grow, consuming her thoughts in a fire of boiling anger and thirst for revenge and retribution.

"Daleks!" the Doctor spat to himself before moving to stand in front of the campers that remained. "Alright, so it's my turn! Then kill me! Kill me if it'll stop you attacking these people!"

That stirred a chord in her mind, shaking her out of a red fog of hatred. No- he couldn't die, she couldn't let him die-

"Doctor!" Evy shouted, trying to step forward, but Frank grabbed her, holding her back. Evy screamed, fighting, trying to get loose. She had only one thought- and that was that her father mustn't die tonight. There was other things that had to come about… the sense she'd felt before tonight trickled into her thoughts as she struggled vainly in Frank's arms, "No! Let me go! He can't!"

"I will be the destroyer of our greatest enemy," one Dalek exclaimed, raising its weapon. Evy shrieked. _No no no no no….._

"Then do it!" The Doctor shouted, beating his chest in fury, "Do it! Just do it! Do it!"

Martha looked at her, alarmed at how hard Evy was struggling, and quickly moved to help Frank. As she did so, she caught a glimpse of Evy's face- and shuddered.

There was something in Evy's eyes- something that was more than the concern for a friend and more than fear of another death that should have been there. There was instead terror, some undefinable emotion, and something ancient and not to be messed with. Martha's eyes widened. Something wasn't right here…

"Extermina…" the Dalek began- only to suddenly stop. Just as suddenly, Evy stopped thrashing. Martha breathed a sigh of relief, and tightened her slipping grip, just in case Evy decided to start again. "I do not understand. It is the Doctor,"

The Doctor looked back at the group, clearly as confused as they were as to the one sided conversation they were hearing. He caught sight of Evy, face tear-streaked and held securely by Martha and Frank, and his confusion deepened.

"The urge to kill is too strong," The Dalek protested. The Doctor turned back to face the Dalek as it lowered its weapon. "I…obey."

"What's going on?" the Doctor demanded as he stared at his enemy.

"You will follow," was all the Dalek said.

"No!" Evy shouted, twisting her way out of her captor's grip and running forward. "You can't go!"

Evy's mind was streaming ahead, racing hundreds of miles fast. _She could see things- things that must not happen and could- things that must happen and wouldn't-_

Martha sighed and quickly chased after her to the Doctor's side. "He's got to go," she said quietly, knowing it was true, and feeling like everyone could hear her. "The Daleks changed their minds; they _never_ change their minds, right?" Carefully, Martha grabbed Evy's hand again, as she looked to the Doctor for confirmation.

He nodded, eyes narrowing as he looked at Evy. Evy felt a jolt, and suddenly the overwhelming sense of possibility faded into nothing.

"But what about us?" Evy said, slightly confused and slightly pleading as she looked between Martha and the Doctor. Her head felt fuzzy- and she was not quite understanding why she had acted like she had; or why she had seen what she had- or rather, felt it.

"I'll stay with you," Martha said reassuringly, giving the Doctor a meaningful look. His eyes widened, thinking frantically as he looked at the huddled people, begging Martha, and the teenager who looked very confused and very worried at the same time.

Hmm- he'd have to look into that after this mess was fixed. Something extraordinary had happened a few minutes ago, and he had the look on Evy's face and the fading sensation of mental kinesis to prove it.

He turned back to the Daleks. "One condition! If I come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?"

The Dalek was silent for a moment before speaking. "The humans will be spared. Doctor…follow."

"I'm coming with you," Evy said desperately, trying to step up as Martha held her back, the longing to say the same thing in evident to the Doctor in her own eyes.

"Evy, stay here," the Doctor told her " Help Martha do what she does best. People are hurt. You can help them. Let me go,"

Evy hiccupped slightly, voice hitching from her earlier crying as Martha gently pulled her back. The Doctor nodded in approval- but both women could only look on, terrified for him as the Doctor turned to follow the Daleks.

Suddenly he turned and rushed back, "Oh, and can I just say, thank you very much."

He reached out, grabbing Martha's hand in a handshake as he pressed something into it, winking at the two of them before walking off.

Martha and Evy looked down at what he had given her once the Daleks had turned away, content with their captive.

"What..." Martha mumbled to herself.

Evy's eyes widened and she gently took the object as Martha watched the Doctor's retreating figure. "I think," She said carefully and in astonishment. "I actually know what this is."

~8~

Evy sat off to the side, supporting her head on her hands as she watched Martha work with detached interest. This was the least severe wound they'd seen so far- the flow of wounded was slacking off, something for which Evy was glad. The aftermath of violence was something she was familiar with, but it wasn't exactly pretty.

"Here you go," Tallulah called softly, bringing in a pot of water. "I got some more on the boil."

"Thanks," Martha looked up at her before turning to the man and finishing the knot in the bandage she was tying. "You'll be alright. It's just a cut. Try and keep it clean."

"Thanks," he replied, getting up and leaving. Evy watched him go, saying nothing, and allowing her mind to drift into a hazy fog. She didn't notice the concerned glance Martha gave her.

"So what about us?" Tallulah asked Martha, leaning against the wall. "What do we do now?"

"The Doctor gave me this," Martha said, pulling out the psychic paper and holding it up for Tallulah to see. "He must have had a reason."

"What's that for?"

"It's psychic paper," Evy replied to Tallulah. Both Martha and Tallulah glanced at her, expecting her to continue, but Evy said, nothing, content to let Martha explain, though her eyes remained focused this time. Oh, well, Martha rationalized. At least she wasn't staring off into space any longer. She frowned, trying to explain what the psychic paper was.

"It can be used to get you into places, buildings and things." Martha said. "But where?" She looked at Tallulah, who was trying to follow her. "He must want us to go somewhere, but where?" Martha explained. "What are we supposed to do?"

Martha frowned, and not just in thought. Truth to tell, Martha was starting to feel just the slightest bit annoyed at the Doctor. Yes, there were the Daleks, but she had no idea what he wanted or needed her to do, and she now had Evy to look after, who was starting to concern her.

"Wait a minute," Martha said, remembering something. "Down in the sewers the Daleks mentioned this…energy conductor."

Unnoticed, Evy's eyebrows narrowed slightly in thought. She remembered what Martha was talking about. What exactly had the Daleks said?

"What does that mean?" Tallulah asked. Evy frowned, trying hard to remember-

"I don't know." Martha sighed. "Maybe like a…lightning conductor or…"

Evy found the memory she'd been searching for.

_"These are strong specimens," the first Dalek said to the second, "They will help the Dalek cause. What is the status of the Final Experiment?"_

_"The Dalekanium is in place," the second Dalek reported, "The energy conductor is now complete."_

"Dalekanium!" Evy shouted, bolting upright from her crouched position. "They said the Dalekanium was in place."

"In place where?" Tallulah shook her head, just barely following along- and surprised at Evy's outburst after her long apathy.

"Frank might know," Martha said before rushing out of the tent. Evy jumped up and ran after her. "I'll ask him," She told Martha. Tallulah followed after, coming to stand next to Martha, who was waiting patiently while Evy spoke to Frank.

"Frank?" Evy asked gently, sitting down next to him.

"Hm?" he looked up. "Oh. 'S you."

"That Mr. Diagoras, he was like some sort of fixer, yeah?" Evy asked. "Get you jobs all over town?"

"Yeah. He could find a profit anywhere." Evy heard the bitterness in his voice and winced. She wondered if that same bitterness had been in her voice when she had used to talk about the Doctor. Used to? That was barely yesterday.

"But where though? What sort of things?" Evy persisted, trying to think of where the Daleks would be.

"You name it. We're all so desperate for work, you just hoped Diagoras would pick you for something good. Building work. That pays the best."

"But what sort of building work?" Martha asked, impatiently. Evy gave her a _look_- and then realized something so obvious she nearly smacked herself.

"Can't you guess?" Evy spoke up. They turned to look at her staring at the Empire State Building.

"Mainly building that," Frank nodded.

"_That's_ the energy conductor," Evy replied, looking as though she were staring at it but not really seeing. "I bet their lab was under it." She murmured.

She couldn't understand why the Daleks needed one or what they were going to use it for- but the location fit in with her general observation that the greatest alien plots all seemed to be located under or near monuments. Again, the Universe's twisted sense of humor.

"Well, let's get moving," Tallulah announced, heading towards the tower. From what she understood of the conversation, something about the Daleks, a lab and the building, maybe there was something there that would help change Lazlo back.

Martha started to follow her.

"One minute," Evy called, and turned to Frank. "Frank," she said, looking directly into his eyes so he could read the sincerity in her own and hopefully take some comfort from it, "I know you're feeling horrible right now, and I know you miss him. And I know you just met me, and we haven't exactly given you the best of reasons to trust us. But, please come with us. We could use your help."

Frank looked into Evy's blue eyes, vivid and honest, and found himself nodding.

Evy sighed. "Thank you."

They managed to get into the building with little trouble, thanks to the paper, and were on the lift up when Martha spoke, trying to alleviate the tension, "I always wanted to go to the Empire State. Never imagined it quite like this though."

Evy smothered a bubble of hysterical laughter that threatened to burst from her lips.

_Oh, Martha, _She thought, _I'm pretty sure I've got you topped in the 'I never imagined it quite like this' department. And I've had longer to imagine it 'like this'. _

"Where are we headed anyway?" Frank asked.

"To the top where they're still building," Martha replied, eyes fixed on the doors of the service elevator.

"How come those guys just let us through?" Tallulah frowned, looking at the paper in Martha's hands, "How's that thing work?"

"The psychic paper shows them whatever the holder wants them to think," Evy replied before Martha could, then shrugged. "At least, it's supposed to. Tricky thing, though." Evy smiled, remembering from Rose's story.

_"Two things. One, I've got a friend who uses this, all the time, and two; you just handed me a piece of paper telling me you're single, and you work out." _

"What's so funny?" Tallulah asked. Evy coughed, and stopped smiling. "Nothing."

Martha nodded in agreement with Evy, giving the teen an odd look as she handed the paper to Frank for him to look at. "According to this, we're two engineers, an electrician, and an architect."

"Which am I?" Evy asked, attempting to inject some humor of her own into the situation. Martha was spared from answering by the ding of the lift as they arrived.

The doors opened to reveal the top floor of the building, "Look at this place!" Tallulah exclaimed as they stepped out, twirling to admire their surroundings. "Top of the world!"

Martha looked over and saw some architectural plans scattered about on a drafting board. "Ok, now this looks good," she commented, walking over to them with Frank. Evy paused, unsure where she should be.

"Hey, look at the date," Frank pointed out on the top sheet as Martha flipped through a few. "These designs were issued today. They must've changed something last minute."

"You mean the Daleks changed something?"

"Yeah, could be."

"The ones underneath, they're from before," Martha confirmed, checking the labels. "That means that whatever they changed must be on this top sheet but not this one," she reasoned, pulling the two off, "We need to check one against the other."

"The height of this place!" Tallulah commented in the background, "This is amazing!"

"Careful, we're a hundred floors up," Martha warned as Evy drifted over to Tallulah, and Frank put the plans on the floor for comparison. "Don't go wandering off."

"I just wanna see," Tallulah defended, walking over to an open area. Evy followed her moments later. Below them was spread a velvet carpet of lights, made into the towers and buildings of a wonderland. "New York City." Tallulah remarked to Evy, who now stood beside her, awestruck by the view. A soft wind stirred their hair, and Evy cautiously reached one hand to pull the long strands out of her eyes.

"If aliens had to come to Earth, no wonder they came here."

Reluctantly, both Evy and Tallulah abandoned the window and walked back over to where Frank and Martha had spread the sheets on the ground.

"I'll go and keep an eye out," Frank's said, getting up to allow them both a chance to examine the blueprints. "Make sure we're safe up here. Don't want nobody buttin' in."

He walked off as Tallulah and Evy came to stand beside the kneeling Martha. "There's a hell of a storm movin' in." Tallulah commented.

"I wish the Doctor was here," Martha muttered, scanning the plans. "He'd know what we're looking for."

Evy said nothing, just crouched down beside Martha to pour over the documents.

"So tell me, where did you and him first hook up?" Tallulah asked Martha curiously, as if looking for something to talk about. Evy's fists clenched and she reminded herself to keep a hold of her temper- many people in the Doctor's travels assumed he and his companion were a couple. Personal questions went with the territory.

"Martha and the Doctor were investigating and picked me up in the back alley of a London club," Evy commented brusquely, appearing to focus on the plans. Carefully, though, she watched Tallulah and Martha out of the corner of her eye.

"It was in a hospital, sort of," Martha said, sitting back as she gazed at the plans herself.

"'Course, him bein' a doctor," Tallulah nodded, kneeling next to Martha and Evy.

"Actually, I'm a doctor," Martha smiled. "Well, kind of."

"You're a physician?" Tallulah's eyes widened and Martha nodded. "Really?"

"I was training. Still am, if I ever get back home."

"You could be doctors together! What a partnership. Oh, it's such a shame. If only he wasn't so…different. You know what I mean?"

Evy stifled a snicker. It wasn't mean spirited- just- the only woman the Doctor would ever really be interested in, right now, at least, was the mother she had left behind.

"Oh, you have no idea how different he really is," Martha muttered. Evy did sicker this time, and Martha winked at her.

"Yeah, he's a man, sweetheart," Tallulah grinned ruefully, not noticing the exchange between her fellows. "That's different enough."

Martha leaned back a bit. She looked over, and, seeing Evy focused on the plans, turned to look at Tallulah again. "He had this…companion a while back. This friend."

Evy's ears instantly perked up. _Mum_. Randomly, she grabbed a plan and pulled it towards her, stretching her ears to eavesdrop shamelessly.

"And ever since then he's been on his own. But you know, sometimes I say something or do something and he looks at me, and I just sort of think…that he's not seeing me. He's just remembering."

Evy's heart sank. She knew the Doctor missed Rose- but if he even forgot lively Martha for her, than how could he ever notice her as anything other than a tagalong?

Sternly, Evy told herself to quit moaning and dragged her attention back to the plans.

"Aw, listen sweetheart," Tallulah put a hand on Martha's shoulder, "You wanna get all sad? You wanna have a contest with me and Lazlo?"

"No," Martha shook her head. "But listen, if the Doctor's with Lazlo now, there's every chance that he could get him out."

"And then what?" Tallulah sighed, seeing that Martha had misunderstood the underlying issue. "Don't talk crazy. There's no future for me and him. Those Dalek things took that away. The one good thing I had in my life and they destroyed it." she choked up at the end, and stood, walking away to look outside once more, tears in her eyes.

Evy sighed. Poor Tallulah.

"Gotcha! Look!" She heard Martha exclaim beside her, and quickly turned to peer at the woman's discovery. Tallulah hurried back and knelt down beside Evy and Martha. She saw what Martha was pointing at- the base of the building's mast.

"There, on the mast. Those little lines?" Martha said, tapping the lines she meant with her forefinger. "They're new. They've added something, see?"

"Added what?" Tallulah frowned. Then all three women turned to look at each other.

"Dalekanium!" They all exclaimed in unison.

Suddenly, like a shock of electricity, Evy knew what they had to do. Abruptly, she stood up, wiping her hands on her still-borrowed jeans.

"Alright then, we've got to go and take that down."

"What?" Martha asked in confusion as she stood up as well.

"The Daleks put that metal up there for a reason, and that reason can't be good. So we've gotta go up there and take it down!" Evy explained. "I'll do it."

Martha looked at Evy, fully ready to argue- when there was a small ding from the elevator. All of them immediately glanced at it. The arrow was going up. "That'll be the Doctor." Evy said.

"And how do you know?"

Evy grinned. "Isn't it always? Doctor first, Monsters five seconds behind." Then she sobered, shaking off Martha's grip. "Let me do something worthwhile, Martha."

The woman opened her mouth again- and the elevator rose another floor. Evy's eyes flashed to the dial. "Just help him when he gets here!" She yelled, and dashed for the ladder up.

Martha sighed, making a futile grab for the girl as she dashed up the ladder. Above her, Evy gulped. This was high. Very, very high.


	22. Closure

**Okay, awnser time- for those of you who wondered, and were good enough to leave a review asking me about this, in the previous chapter, those WERE Evy's Time senses. Yes, she has them. My explination is that they were sort of latent in her before, since she'd never been exposed to anything really having to do with extreme energy or Time in a large way, and in the sense of Time Lord ages, she's ridicuously young. So the TARDIS and the short trip through the Vortex, plus being in close contact with the Doctor 'woke up' her senses. **

**Also, Rose is currently traveling the universe and will make occasional, sporadic apperances. If you guys really want to see Rose, I'll write her, but please don't expect her a lot. This is Evy's story. Maybe later I'll write 'The Adventures of Rose' or something like that. **

**The Countdown continues- I will make New Years! Love you all.**

* * *

Martha looked back to see the arrow on the lift continue to move. She glanced after Evy- and then ran towards it, waiting impatiently for the doors to open.

"Doctor!" she shouted when the Doctor and Lazlo were revealed, tossing aside the plans they'd been putting back into order.

"First floor, perfumery," the Doctor greeted with a grin.

"I never thought I'd see you again!" Tallulah exclaimed as she saw Lazlo, running and hugging him.

"No stopping me," he remarked, burying his face in her neck.

"We worked it out," Martha turned to the Doctor pointing to the mast as he hurried over to her side. "We know what they've done. There's Dalekanium on the mast. And it's good to see you too, by thy way."

"Oh, come here," the Doctor laughed, pulling Martha into a bear hug, spinning her around a bit- before dropping her as the bell to the lift dinged and the doors shut. He ran over, trying desperately to stop the doors from closing. "No, no, no. See, never waste time with a hug," he pulled out the sonic screwdriver and flashed it over the panel before frowning and slapping the side of the elevator angrily. "It's a deadlock seal. I can't stop it."

"Where's it going?"

"Right down to the Daleks. And they're not going to leave us alone up here. What's the time?"

"11:15," Frank answered, walking into the room at the noise.

"Six minutes to go," he muttered, eyes darting around the room. He had the strangest feeling something was missing… "I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the Gamma radiation hits."

"Gammon radiation?" Tallulah asked, confused. "What the heck is that?"

Then he realized. "Where's Evy?!" He turned to Martha, his mind already imagining various horrible reasons why she wasn't there as a cold feeling began to form in his stomach. "Where is she?"

Martha looked uncomfortable. "Um- she's already up there. On the mast." Martha pointed to a platform at the edge of the construction. "She's trying to get the Dalekainium down."

Somewhat relieved and somewhat more worried, he quickly ran outside. The group followed him- but he paused when he caught sight of the city, "Oh, that's high. That's very…blimey, that's high."

"And Evy's gone even higher," Martha pointed up the ladder, a slight laugh in her voice. "That's the mast up there, look. There's three pieces of Dalekanium at the base."

He glared up the ladder, "Evy!"

"What?" her irritated voice echoed down to them after a moment, just barely able to be heard through the storm moving in. Evy panted with effort as she hauled herself up another steel beam. Her arms were burning with the strain.

_Maybe I _should_ have taken that strength conditioning class- _She thought as she caught her breath, trying not to wonder why she was doing this or think about how far it was to the ground.

"What in the bloody hell are you doing?" The Doctor called up to her.

"Trying to get the Dalekanium off! What the _bloody hell_ does it _look like_ I'm doing, you idiot?" Evy yelled back at him, far too tired and too terrified to attempt to restrain her mouth. The swearing had the curious way of running away with her at times like this.

Below, on the platform, The Doctor blinked. Well, _someone_ got mouthy. He wondered why he hadn't noticed that before.

Above him, Evy had discovered for only about the fiftieth time that she really, really hated heights. She clung to her beam, trying to give her arms a momentary break, before once again reaching and pulling herself up. Not much farther…

"She's either stupid or entirely too brave," the Doctor muttered to himself as lightning flashed in the sky, illuminating the now moving figure. He turned to Martha. "I'm going up there and getting her down. _I'll_ worry about the Dalekanium."

"What am I supposed to do, just stand here and watch you?" Martha asked sarcastically, but the Doctor cut her off.

"No, you're gonna have your hands full, anyway. I'm sorry, Martha, but you've got to fight."

He turned and rushed up the ladder before Martha could argue, leaving her on the platform. Once he had topped the ladder, he began to climb up the scaffolding towards the mast. He could just make out the figure already up there, struggling with something. How that girl managed to get up there in the first place was beyond him- what with the rain now pelting down, making the metal slick and the winds blowing fiercely. _He_ was having a hard time getting up- and felt a surge of respect for the girl he'd just picked up. Finally, he reached the base of the mast and moved to Evy's side. Determinedly, she was examining the three sheets of Dalekainum in place there, but he could already see her shaking from the cold.

"I can't get them off," she told him, still straining to try and pry the bars of alien metal off with her bare hands; clever fingers searching frantically for a weak spot that wasn't there. "They've been welded on with something."

"Lucky me," he replied, pulling out the sonic screwdriver. Evy's eyes widened, and she made a move to grab it but he pulled it back beyond her reach. "No, this is _my_ job."

Evy frowned and gave him a scornful look. "What, you think I can't do it?"

"Go and help Martha," He told her, ignoring her question. Evy stubbornly refused to move. "I need a better reason than that. No one ever lets me help," She muttered.

He sighed. Since when had teenager girls become so stubborn? "Please. I'd feel better if you're down there with them."

Evy's frown deepened, but he could see her thinking it over. She glanced once or twice over the edge, and then at him, as if deciding whether he was serious- and then nodded, carefully but quickly scrambling back down with a grace and flexibility he envied.

"That's still not a good reason!" He heard her yell below him, and unexpectedly grinned. He allowed himself to make sure that she was within reasonable distance of safety before returning to his job.

Evy grimaced as she scurried down the scaffolding, careful not to make a slip. She didn't want to leave- but she had to admit it made sense. She'd tried, failed, and he was the one with the sonic, not her. The base of the mast was small even for one; two people trying to work there with one sonic that she wouldn't even know how to use was asking to fall.

She carefully climbed down the ladder that led to the platform, sighing in relief as she set her feet back on relative safety, only to see Lazlo was down, resting against the wall, with Tallulah beside him. Martha and Frank were standing in front of the lift with makeshift weapons comprised of office supplies, both hunched over in terror.

"We'll get slaughtered!" Martha was saying- then she turned as Evy ran toward her- and caught sight of the metal pipes leaned up against the wall. "Wait a minute. Lightning!" Dropping her weapon, Martha ran over to the pipes.

"What?" Evy asked, before she saw what Martha was doing. "Oh, brilliant!" she yelled, realizing Martha's stroke of genius. That was all the incentive the rest needed to grab more pipes and set them up leading towards the lift.

"I thought you were gonna help the Doctor." Evy heard Martha say as they both manhandled a pipe into position.

Evy bit her tongue. "He kicked me out." Remembering the height, and the wind, she shuddered convulsively and went back for another pipe.

"Aw, you'll be alright sweetheart," she heard Tallulah whispering to Lazlo, "Don't you worry,"

She looked up to see Martha, Frank, and Evy working on the pipes, "What the hell are you clowns doin'?"

"Even if the Doctor manages to stop the Dalekanium, this place is going to get hit regardless," Martha explained, positioning a pipe with Evy. "The right strike of lightning will send electricity all down this building. If we connect these pipes to the lift then they get zapped in the process."

"Oh my God, that could work!"

"Thanks for the support, Tallulah," Evy grunted, manhandling the heavy metal. "Now come and give us a hand!"

Tallulah got on her feet and helped Frank move a pipe as Martha moved a metal item in front of the elevator. The lift was still rising steadily, and all of them couldn't help glancing at it worriedly in between positioning pipes.

Evy had just finished moving the last pipe into place when she rose- and saw the sonic fall onto the platform, arcing end over end, dull metal illuminated in another flash of lightning.

She gasped, and dropped her grip on the pipe, dashing for the sonic. She grabbed it, and turned, glancing up at the mast and wondering if she might return it in time. Then she shook her head. It was too late; she'd never be able to get it back to the Doctor before the lightning hit.

"Evy!" Martha called to her, motioning for her to get back in the room. She looked over to see that they had finished setting up and were all crowding around a pillar just as the arrow on the lift passed the 95th floor.

She looked up one last time- before dashing in, sonic clutched in her hand, and slid into the huddle. Martha slipped her free hand around the girl's shoulder, drawing her in.

"Evy, just sit in the middle and don't touch anything metal."

Evy nodded, not trusting herself to speak as their group of six huddled together, eyes fixed on the elevator arrow. The doors opened with a ding, revealing the pig slaves, and for a heartbeat, there was nothing. Then, just as the lightning struck the building, Evy felt a bolt of agony in her head.

She gasped, dropping both the sonic and Martha's hand to clutch instead at her head with both hands, eyes screwed shut. She cried out, feeling as though a line of white-hot pain was arcing its way from temple to temple.

"Evy?" Martha asked, worried for her friend beyond the frying pig slaves. "Oh my god, what's wrong?"

"My head-" Evy managed to grit out- and then suddenly, it was over. Both the pain and the lightning strike. Her head now felt fuzzy, but fine.

"Evy?" Martha asked.

"'M fine." She responded, unsure where the pain had come from. Sure, she was used to getting migranes now and again back home- she could be prone to them- but that wasn't a migraine.

"What happened?" Martha queried, searching Evy's face carefully. Maybe that was a doctor thing. She shrugged, and got up.

"Dunno." She said, and walked over to the remains of their work.

"We did it," Tallulah was saying as they stared at the dead pig men lying on the floor of the lift. She sounded as if she couldn't believe it, and Evy felt almost the same.

"Wow," she echoed, astonished herself.

"They used to be like Lazlo," Martha said quietly, eyes fixed on the bodies. "They were people and we killed 'em."

"No, the _Daleks_ killed them," Lazlo replied, getting up to stagger behind them, his voice hoarse, "Long ago."

"What about the Doctor?" Frank said suddenly. Both Evy and Martha looked at each other with identical expressions of concern before Martha rushed outside, Evy closely behind. Evy made it to the top platform first, though- her skill as a climber and previous excursions up this way giving her speed. She found the Doctor, lying on his back, unconscious near the base of the mast.

Evy gasped, her eyes taking in everything. What had he tried to do, stop the lightning with his…her eyes widened as she realized, not only what the Doctor had done, but where the agony she'd felt had come from.

_Oh my god. That is not good. That is very not good. If I got that from him… _But Evy wasn't allowed to dwell on the possible repercussions of her realization.

"Doctor!" Martha called as she carefully knelt on one side of him, Evy quickly mirroring her on the other. "Doctor!"

"Look what I found," Evy added, her tone begging him to wake up as she held up the sonic. "You dropped this, you daft …"

"Oh, my head," the Doctor groaned, cutting off what was probably going to be quite an impressive insult.

"Hiya," Martha greeted, relieved. Evy allowed herself a shaky breath of relief and a small smile.

"Hi," the Doctor peeked at her, glancing at Evy as well. "You survived then."

"Found this too," Evy smiled, twirling the sonic in her fingers. He shook his head and reached out to take it, settling back down with a grimace of pain.

"I can't help noticing…" Martha began, just slightly worried, "There's Dalekanium still attached."

Instantly the Doctor was up and moving.

~8~

"The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing," the Doctor informed them as they looked out at the city. "They'll be using the sewers, spreading the soldiers out underneath Manhattan."

"How do we stop them?" Lazlo asked, leaning heavily on Tallulah.

"There's only one chance," the Doctor said, "I got in the way. That gamma strike went zapping though me first." Then he turned, walking back toward the lift.

Evy rolled her eyes, thoroughly sick of figuring things out on her own, thoroughly annoyed at the Doctor for scaring them so much, and still reeling from the shock of her discovery. "Yeah, great." She said, trailing after him. "But how does you being an idiot help us?"

The Doctor turned and gave her an offended look. Evy glared right back. The Doctor opened his mouth to say something-

"But what does that mean?" Martha asked, cutting him off in an attempt to mollify both sides.

"We need to draw fire," the Doctor replied, distracted from Evy's defiance, and not entirely answering her question. "Before they can attack New York, I need to face them. Think, think, think, think. We need some sort of space, somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way..."

"The theater!" Evy suggested, animosity forgotten for now.

"Tallulah!" the Doctor spun to face the showgirl.

"That's me," she held up a hand, "Three Ls and an H."

"Evy's right, the theater, it's right above them, and, what, it's gone midnight?" he asked, "Can you get us inside?"

"Don't see why not," she shrugged.

"Is there another lift?" he looked around.

"We came up in the service elevator," Martha replied, heading over to it and dragging Evy with her in an attempt to ward off any further altercations between the girl and the Doctor.

"That'll do," he nodded. "Allons-y!"

~8~

Quickly, they entered the darkened theater. Instead of the welcoming, warm presence it had possessed before, the theater now gave off an ominous, foreboding feeling. Evy shuddered, hurrying after the Doctor.

"This should do it," the Doctor said, flinging his coat off and onto an empty seat as he looked around, pulling out the sonic screwdriver, "Here we go."

"There ain't nothin' more creepy than a theater in the dark," Tallulah commented. Evy shivered again, taking in the shadowed corners.

"You can say that again, Tallulah." She agreed.

"Listen, Doctor," The other woman said, as the Doctor, now perched on the back of the theater chairs, was shining the sonic around. "I know you got a thing for showtunes, but there's a time and place, huh?" Just then, Lazlo collapsed into one of the chairs. "Lazlo, what's wrong?" Tallulah exclaimed, sitting next to him.

"Nothing," he shook his head, breathing heavily, "It's just so hot."

Tallulah frowned in confusion and worry. "But…it's freezing in here." She turned to the Doctor, who was fiddling with the sonic. "Doctor, what's happening to him?"

"Not now Tallulah," he replied, listening to the screwdriver, as it began to make small-sounding regular beeps. "Sorry."

"What are you doing?" Martha asked, watching him. Evy did the same, watching him silently, mind calculating as she once again turned to the implications of what she had felt- from _him_.

"If the Daleks are going to war, they'll wanna find their number one enemy," the Doctor said, holding out the beeping sonic. Evy's eyes widened as she realized what he was doing.

"You did not!" she exclaimed, glaring at him in shock.

"I'm just telling them where I am," He said, and grinned at her. Martha's eyes widened as she realized what he had just said.

#

"I'm telling you to go," the Doctor argued with Martha and Evy as the two women stood defiantly, arms crossed, before him. Frank was watching them, unsure which side to take as Tallulah worried over Lazlo. "Frank can take you back to Hooverville."

"And we say no," Evy said, matching the Doctor glare for glare in refusal to back down. "We're not going."

"That's an order." Evy's eyes flashed angrily, but Martha spoke first.

"Who are you, then? Some sort of Dalek?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to respond angrily- when two lines of people carrying very large guns burst into the theater, flanking them. All six of them jumped up, stepping a bit closer together as the columns marched in.

"Well, too late now," Evy observed wryly, a bit of doubtful triumph creeping into her voice.

"Oh, my God!" Tallulah shrank back, gathering Lazlo to her. "Well I guess that's them then, huh?"

"Humans…with Dalek DNA," Martha confirmed, fearfully amazed.

Frank moved to attack one but the Doctor pulled him back, "It's alright. Just stay calm. Don't antagonize them."

"But what about the Dalek masters?" Lazlo asked, "Where are they?"

Just as he finished an explosion occurred on the stage. They ducked back behind the seats for cover, avoiding the rain of broken wood, before peering over the seats to see two Daleks on the stage with Dalek Sec chained between them, crawling. The Doctor slowly stood up. The rest of them followed his example, Evy and Martha first.

"The Doctor will stand before the Daleks," the first Dalek ordered. The Doctor stepped over a chair and began to walk forward on their backs till he reached the front row, "You will die, Doctor. It is the beginning of a new age."

"Planet Earth will become New Skaro," the second Dalek replied as both the Doctor and Evy glared at him.

"Oh, and what a world," the Doctor commented angrily. "With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec. Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him. Is that your new empire? Hmm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilization?"

"My Daleks…" Dalek Sec said as he leaned towards the two Daleks, pleading. "Just understand this. If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you."

"Incorrect," the first Dalek replied, "We will always survive."

"Now we will destroy our greatest enemy, the Doctor," the second added.

"But he can help you," Dalek Sec shouted desperately.

"The Doctor must die," the first Dalek stated.

"No, I beg you, don't," Dalek Sec said, crawling in front of the first Dalek.

"Exterminate!" the second Dalek ordered. Evy flinched as they fired- only to see Dalek Sec stand up just as the first Dalek fired at the Doctor; killing himself instead of the Time Lord.

"Your own leader," the Doctor said, disgust evident in his voice, "The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness and you destroyed him." He turned to the human Daleks, "Do you see what they did? Huh? You see what a Dalek really is? If I'm gonna die, let's give the new boys a shot. What do you think, eh? The Dalek-Humans. Their first blood. Go on, baptize them." He spat, holding out his arms to the side.

"Dalek-Humans, take aim," the first Dalek ordered, the men cocked their weapons and aimed.

"No!" Evy shrieked, jerking forward when Martha grabbed her and pulled her back. "Trust him," she whispered. Martha could tell that this time, the Doctor had a plan. As much as she was terrified as well, Martha knew that they had to let him do it.

Evy gave Martha a look of anguish and huddled into the other woman's arms.

"What are you waiting for?" the Doctor demanded. "Give the command!"

"Exterminate!" the second Dalek ordered again.

The Doctor closed his eyes as Martha turned away to bury her own face in Frank's chest, Evy between them… but nothing happened.

"Exterminate!" the second Dalek repeated, but still nothing happened. Evy looked up. "Wait a minute…" She said, realizing nothing was happening, relief and something akin to joy building in her chest.

"Obey," the first Dalek commanded, "Dalek-Humans will obey."

"They're not firing," Martha breathed, turning back.

"No, they aren't," Evy smiled, feeling almost as though she could dance around the empty theater in relief. Certain destruction averted!

"What have you done?" Martha stared at the Doctor, amazement in her eyes. "Something amazing," Evy replied, amazement in her own voice as she stared at her father.

"You will obey," the second Dalek ordered, "Exterminate."

"Why?" the first human asked as the Doctor looked over at him.

"Daleks do not question orders," the first Dalek stated.

"But why?"

"You will stop this."

"But…why?" The human persisted.

"You must not question!"

"But you are not our master," the human responded, "And we…we are not Daleks."

"No, you're not. And you never will be," the Doctor replied, turning back to the Daleks, "Sorry, I got in the way of the lightning strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom." He said, winking. Evy felt like whooping in celebration.

"If they will not obey, then they must die," the second Dalek determined before shooting the human who had spoken.

Evy gasped. "Don't-" She cried out, horrified, before the Doctor shouted for them to get down, ducking under the seats himself. Martha pulled her down, along with Frank as Tallulah and Lazlo followed.

"Exterminate!" the Daleks shouted as both sides opened fire on each other. "Exterminate!"

Blasts flew overhead as humans began to fall, the group crouching among the seats, but then the remarkable happened. The second Dalek was destroyed, and a few moments later, so was the first. The humans immediatly ceased fire.

The group slowly stood up, the Doctor making his way over to one of the humans, "It's alright," he told them, reaching out to lower their weapons, "It's alright. It's alright. You did it. You're free."

Moments later, though, the hybrids grabbed their heads in pain.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, his eyes widening as he realized what was happening. The humans began crumbling to the floor, writhing in pain, "They can't! They can't! They can't!"

"What happened?" Martha asked as she and Evy ran up to one of the bodies, where the Doctor was crouching."What was that?"

"They killed 'em," the Doctor replied, "Rather than let them live. An entire species. Genocide."

"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed," Evy said in a dead tone of voice, looking up at the stage as she stood up.

"One of them must still be alive, to do this."

The Doctor stood, anger rolling off him in waves that were nearly palpable. Evy took an involuntary step back from the expression on his face. "Oh, yes. In the whole Universe, just one."

_Oh, god,_ she thought. _Just like Van Stratten's bunker. All over again. _

~8~

The Doctor insisted on going to reason with the last Dalek alone. Martha saw his face and didn't argue. Evy, though, just simply couldn't let it go that easily. Really, she couldn't, and if she admitted it to herself, it was because she was afraid of what he might do. Carefully, as he stalked off to the lab in the sewers, she followed him, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Absorbed in his anger and grief, the Doctor didn't seem to notice as she shadowed him. Evy felt a great mix of conflicting emotions as they made their way through the sewers- guilt for following him when he asked to be alone, relief that he was alive, indecision over her lie- and sorrow over the events that had unfolded.

Eventually, they came to the lab, where the lone Dalek was still wired into the control matrix. Carefully, Evy hid at the entrance, behind a pillar, where she could hear everything, but hopefully not be noticed.

"Now what?" He was saying.

"You will be exterminated." The Dalek replied. Evy gritted her teeth as she resisted the urge to go strangle the thing, Dalek or not. Not only for what it had done, but surprisingly- for its threat toward _him_.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." The Doctor said impatiently. "Just think about it, Dalek what was your name?"

"Dalek Caan."

"Dalek Caan." The Doctor repeated. Evy sneaked a glance around the pillar and saw the Doctor begin to walk toward the Dalek. "Your entire species has been wiped out. And now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated, leaving only you. Right now you're facing the only man in the universe who might show you some compassion."

The Dalek's eyestalk twitched. Evy watched silently, feeling a great admiration for this man she'd heard about her whole life and only just met bloom in her heart. He was still willing, after all the Daleks had done, to help the last.

"Because I've just seen one genocide. I won't cause another." He continued, unaware that Evy was listening, hardly daring to breathe beyond a concrete pillar. "Caan, let me help you. What do you say?"

The words had hardly left the Doctor's mouth before- "Emergency Temporal Shift!" Evy watched, spellbound, as the cables fell off and the Dalek disappeared in a flash of light. The Doctor ran toward it-

And then Evy had to scramble out of the way as Martha and Tallulah, carrying a groaning Lazlo, rushed through the passage.

"What happened?" she called after them, before covering her mouth hastily. She shouldn't have said that- she was supposed to have been with them.

"Doctor!" Martha shouted. "Doctor! He's sick!" Lazlo started wheezing, breathing more heavily than before as they lowered him to the ground, Tallulah cradling him. "It's okay. You're alright," Martha continued, as the Doctor walked over and knelt next to him. Evy awkwardly watched from afar, leaning on another pillar. "It's his heart." Martha explained. "It's racing like mad. I've never seen anything like it."

"What is it, Doctor?" Tallulah looked up, tears in her eyes. "What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe! What is it?"

"It's time sweetheart," Lazlo breathed, wheezing heavily.

"What do you mean 'time?' What are you talking about?" Tallulah asked, almost hysterical. Unreadable, the Doctor watched, hands folded in front of his face.

"None of the slaves…survive for long." Lazlo explained. "Most of them only live a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on 'cos I had you. But now…I'm dyin' Tallulah."

"No you're not. Not now, after all this. Doctor, can't you do somethin'?" Tallulah pleaded.

"Oh, Tallulah with three Ls and an H…" he trailed off, before smiling, "Just you watch me!" he jumped to his feet and took off his coat, "What do I need? Oh, I don't know. How about a great big genetic laboratory? Oh look, I've got one." Even Evy had to smile at that.

"Lazlo, just you hold on," He said as he ran about, muttering to himself as he began mixing up solutions. "There's been too many deaths today. Way too many people have died. Brand new creatures and wise old men and age-old enemies. And I'm tellin' you, I'm tellin' you right now, I am _not_ having one more death! Got that? Not one! Tallulah, out of the way," he took his stethoscope out of his pocket and put it on, heading towards Lazlo as Tallulah and Martha hurried out of his way, "The Doctor is in!"

~8~

Several hours later, the Doctor, Martha, and Evy were back on Bedloe's Island, gazing out at the city. Frank had managed to convince the citizens of Hooverville to give Lazlo a home, and Tallulah and Lazlo had headed back to the city, leaving them at the ferry dock.

"Do you reckon it's gonna work, those two?" Martha asked as they stared at the New York skyline.

Evy shrugged, continuing to gaze out at the skyline meditatively.

"I don't know." The Doctor said. "New York, that's what this city's good at. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and maybe the odd pig-slave-Dalek-mutant-hybrid-turned-human too."

Evy laughed, but said nothing.

"The pig and the showgirl," Martha laughed, too.

"The pig and the showgirl," The Doctor agreed.

"Just proves it, I suppose," Evy said absently, thinking of her own various issues. "There's someone for everyone."

"Maybe," the Doctor replied quietly, his own smile disappearing. Evy winced, realizing what she had just inadvertently reminded him of.

She sighed, mentally slapping herself. "Meant to say…sorry."

"What for?" the Doctor asked, glancing at her curiously.

_Oh, nothing much; sorry Mum lied about me, sorry _I_ lied about me… sorry I'm an idiot…_

"Just 'cos that Dalek got away," Evy said, shrugging and walking back to the TARDIS. "I know what that means to you." She added cryptically.

"Do you think you'll ever see it again?" Martha asked, suddenly.

"Oh yes," the Doctor replied, unlocking the TARDIS, holding it open for the girls to enter. He looked back at the view, "One day."

Evy felt a cold tingle of intuition travel up her spine and shivered. Oh, yes- they'd all see that Dalek again, of that she was sure.


	23. Strange

**Ugh... The Lazarus Experiment, and sowing some plot seeds. Max has a role here- I hope you enjoy it. That particular scene was suggested by one of my freinds when I first started writing this- "Why don't you make my character go all Jackie Tyler on the Doctor?!"- I believe those were her exact words- but it was three in the morning and we were high on soda, Jelly Bellies, and sour gummy worms. Ah, however insperiation comes, I guess.**

**Anyway, it's 4:15 in the morning. I'm going to bed. Expect the conclusion sometime this afternoon- or evening- once I get done sleeping. Enjoy. Love y'all.**

* * *

Martha was clutching the console of the TARDIS as the Doctor ran around it, trying to get to all the controls he needed while in flight. Evy was a few feet away, holding onto the console as well, hoping the Doctor would manage to land the TARDIS in one piece which, to be honest, did not seem like a possibility at the moment.

He came around to stand in between the two women, fiddling with some switches before trying to reach over towards a lever. He pulled it, and the TARDIS instantly quieted, the box jerking to a halt.

"There we go…" he said, grinning. "Perfect landing, which isn't easy in such a tight spot."

"You should be used to tight spots by now," Martha laughed. "Where are we?"

"The end of the line," he replied, watching as Martha ran towards the doors. Evy walked over to stand beside him, saying nothing. "No place like it."

Martha just looked back at him curiously, wondering if she should open the doors. He nodded in encouragement, and she ran outside, only to stop short in disappointment when she saw her bedroom, and not another fantastic landscape. "Home," she remarked as the Doctor stepped through the door behind her, Evy following him, and looked around. "You took me home?"

"Nice place," Evy remarked, glancing around. "Reminds me of my friend Max's flat over in Whitechapel."

"In fact, this is the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about twelve hours," the Doctor commented, looking at Martha's photos. "No time at all, really."

"But all the stuff we've done, Shakespeare, New New York, old New York…"Martha protested.

" Yep, all in one night, relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was. Books, CDs, laundry…" he picked up some underwear drying on a rack, and Martha quickly snatched back the piece of clothing dangling off his fingers. Evy snickered, covering it with a cough.

"So, back where you were, as promised." The Doctor finished pleasantly.

"This is it?" Martha frowned.

"Yeah," he nodded, inhaling deeply. "I should probably…um…"

Just then Martha's phone began ringing, going straight to the machine. "Hi! I'm out! Leave a message!"

"I'm sorry," Martha apologized, a bit embarrassed to be interrupted from their goodbye. The machine beeped and a tired and slightly irritated sounding woman's voice filled the room, "Martha, are you there? Pick it up, will you?"

"Who's that?" Evy asked, glancing at the phone and back to Martha.

"It's mum," Martha shrugged. "It'll wait."

As though she could hear her, Martha's mother spoke again. "Alright then, pretend that you're out if you like." At that, all three of them shared a semi-giggle of amusement. "I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV." Instantly, Martha's expression went from amusement to curiosity. "On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested."

Martha quickly turned and picked up the remote to her TV, turning it on to see her sister standing in the background as an old man was speaking to a gathering of people. The Doctor walked over to Martha's side, intrest piqued.

"The details are top secret…" the old man was saying.

"How could Tish end up on the news?" Martha asked herself as they all gathered around to watch.

"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device…"

"Is that her?" Evy asked, indicating the woman standing in the background, dressed in a well-fitting business suit. She couldn't see very well from the slightly grainy picture, but the woman bore more than a passing resemblance to Martha.

"Yeah. She's got a new job," Martha explained, glancing back at the two others, "PR for some research lab."

"…with the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human!" the man stated. People on the screen began shouting out questions just before Martha shut off the TV and turned to face them.

"Sorry," she frowned, "You were saying we should…"

"Yes, yes, we should," the Doctor started still staring after the TV before turning back to Martha, fidgeting a bit, "One trip is what we said."

"Yeah," Martha sighed, "I suppose things just kind of…escalated."

Evy glanced away politely as they both leaned against the TARDIS, facing each other. "Mmm." The Doctor replied. "Seems to happen to me a lot."

Martha tried to smile at the Doctor. "Thank you. For everything."

"It was my pleasure," he smiled as well, stepping back and walking into the TARDIS. Evy followed after him, slightly confused. If they were leaving Martha- where was he leaving her? He couldn't- she couldn't leave him now-

Evy walked distractedly into the TARDIS, still trying frantically to find a way out of the seeming trap she had now found herself in. Slowly, the TARDIS dematerialized, leaving Martha Jones in her flat, near tears. She had been hoping- but never a deep breath, Martha squared her shoulders, preparing to accept the fact that it was over- when the TARDIS re-materialized.

The door popped open and the Doctor stuck his head out, "No, I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?"

Martha could hear Evy make a startled laugh from inside the TARDIS as she stumbled out into Martha's flat.

"Stupid git realized what the old guy said just as he finished the materialization sequence," Evy laughed breathlessly. "Now, I assume we need to find a way into the big reveal tonight?"

~8~

"Alright," Martha said, walking back into the front room where Evy and the Doctor sat, phone in hand. "Tish put me on the guest list for tonight-unfortunately, she has no idea about you two. Any ideas?"

"Psychic paper," Evy said immediately from her lounging position on the couch, not moving a muscle to reply as she continued to stare up at the ceiling. Martha had smiled when she saw Evy's current pose- sneakered feet dangling over the edge of the small couch's arm, hands laid loosely above her as she reclined on the cushions, facing upward.

The Doctor looked a little miffed from his own seat near the window- but just then Evy sat bolt upright. "I'm coming to?" She asked, sounding surprised.

"Well, 'course." Martha said, frowning as she replaced the phone in its cradle. "You're part of the team, right?"

Evy was a blur of action as she swung her legs back down to the floor and stood up. "Then I've got a phone call of my own to make," She said. "I need to ask my friend for a dress I can borrow."

"You could just borrow one from the TARDIS wardrobe," The Doctor suggested first, beating Martha to it. Evy snorted, plucking at the borrowed jeans she still wore. "Your ship has nothing my size," She remarked. "And I really don't want to run for my life wearing a dress three sizes too big. Jeans, maybe. Dress, no. Not happening."

Martha hid a smile as Evy pulled her cell out of her pocket- and small, worn scrap of paper.

"Hey, you dropped something," Martha observed, reaching down to grab it- only to have it snatched out from under her hand by a stricken-looking Evy, who quickly shoved the piece of paper back in her pocket as though it was a time bomb.

"It's nothing," She said quickly, turning to dial a number. "Really. Thanks." And then she turned away as whoever she was calling picked up.

Martha sat down on the couch in the spot Evy had just vacated, afire with curiosity. What was that piece of paper she was so protective of?

Meanwhile, Evy was getting an earful from Max.

"Look, I'm sorry," She said, trying not to make it obvious that she was being yelled at. "It- it was kind of a spur of the moment, do-or-die thing, you know? Yes, I'm really sorry for scaring you- and I know it was stupid. Hey, I left a message, right?... Yeah, I know. Hey, though, I really need to borrow a dress… yes, for tonight!..."

Evy listened to Max's irritated reply, and sighed. "Yes, I'll have him drop me off at your place. I'm gonna be making this up to you for eternity, aren't I?... Yeah. I dread the coming of your wrath, Max. The very universe trembles in anticipation of the revenge your mind will conceive." Evy's frown had become a smile as she listened to Max's only half-tirade. Oh, Max. Always a sure thing, like the stars in the sky.

"And Max? Hmm? Yeah… just.. thanks. A lot." Evy hung up, looking at the phone in her hand with a mix of wistfulness and worry.

Martha coughed slightly, indicating for her to go on. Evy blushed a bit.

"I'm gonna borrow a dress from a friend- only thing is, she wants you to drop me off." Evy said awkwardly to the Doctor, slightly embarrassed at having to make such a request.

The Doctor looked up. "Hmm..oh. Why?" he sounded surprised, and curious.

Evy shrugged. "No reason. She said she just wanted to meet you."

"Oh. That's alright, then." He got up and stood by the TARDIS. "Come on, then."

Martha remembered something from the night they had picked up Evy- was it last night, or part of last night?. "Is this the friend who made you wear a denim mini-skirt?" She asked smiling.

Evy returned the smile shyly, unsurely, and nodded. "Yep. 's Max."

"Good- give me a sec. I want to meet this girl too." Martha quickly dashed into her bedroom, grabbing the first dress and pair of heels that came to hand. "Will she mind if I borrow her bathroom?"

Evy grinned. "Max? Not likely. She'll probably start giving you make-up tips instead."

Mackenzie Alice Carver was what people termed 'fiery'. And she really did care about Evy- Evy was more than her best friend, Evy was like her little sister. Well, the little sister she wished she had had. So when Evy went missing during Max's birthday extravaganza with only a cryptic phone message thank you to account for her whereabouts, Max had been worried to distraction. And then when the military official reported her mother missing- Max was having serious doubts about her friend's safety, despite the implied reassurance in Evy's message.

So when her cell phone's caller ID had recognized Evy's number, Max had grabbed the thing on the first ring. And when Evy had agreed to get this person-this alien- who'd picked her up last night to drop her off here, in exchange for borrowing a dress, Max knew she'd be ready.

Impatiently, she waited, ready to pounce the instant Evy appeared. When her friend lagged, Max decided to sneak into the kitchen for a moment. In there, she heard a strange grating noise, and came running back out to see a blue box squeezed in between the piles of thriftstore furniture.

Evy waited impatiently as the Doctor carefully landed in Max's flat, the TARDIS barely squeezing in amongst the cramped arrangement of beat up thriftstore coffee table and sofa, and folding chairs in various states of disrepair.

As soon as the console stopped moving and the machine stilled, she ran out the doors to Max's apartment. The Doctor followed behind her at a more leisurely pace.

Outside, Evy glanced around for Max- and found herself grabbed and pushed onto the couch behind her friend, feet and arms tangling as she tried to stop her fall.

"Oi!" She exclaimed indignantly as she landed on the sofa cushions, but Max wasn't listening. Full of fury and oblivious to anything else, she rounded on the Doctor, who had just come out of the TARDIS doors, Martha behind him, eyes wide.

"Alright, creep," She said, addressing the wide-eyed Doctor with a position that said she was prepared for a fight, "What the hell did you do with my best friend?"

"Umm…" The Doctor said, unsure how to reply as he took in the angry girl before him- the girl who was at least half a foot shorter than him. Evy almost burst out into laughter at his comical expression of shock- she would have, if the situation hadn't been so serious.

"Max…" She started, trying to head her friend off as she kicked her way upright among the many pillows layered on the sofa.

Max wasn't listening. "Answer me!" She shouted at the Doctor, hands flailing wildly to underscore her point. "She leaves me in the middle of the night in downtown London with nothing but a cryptic phone call and I'm supposed to believe that _NOTHING_ happened?"

"Max." Evy tried again as the Doctor backed up a pace, faced with the angry girl before him.

"Really, you're lucky I didn't call the police or anything," Max continued to rage, "'cause they'd have more than enough to arrest you on..."

"Max!" Evy shouted, finally catching her friend's attention. Max turned to her, as if to tell her not to interfere- and then saw the amused look on her friend's face and realized what she'd been doing. She blushed.

"Oh. Um. Sorry." She said, directing the 'sorry' at the Doctor and Martha, who were both openly staring at her. Evy sighed and stood up, grabbing Max's arm.

"Excuse us for a minute." She called over her shoulder at the Doctor as she dragged Max down the small hallway to her bedroom for a private conversation. "Make yourselves at home."

It took a while, but with hurried explanation, several tons of reassurances and a promise of eternal servitude, Evy managed to get Max calmed down and reasonable again. The girl, once she realized who she'd nearly attacked, blushed scarlet and made a hurried apology to the Doctor and Martha.

After a few gratuitous compliments on the police box, and several more heartfelt apologies and pleads for forgiveness the Doctor even warmed up to her.

Now though, as it crept toward six, Martha was arguing him into a suit as Evy allowed herself, once again, to be dressed by Max's just slightly over-enthusiastic self.

"I really don't get why you like doing this so much," she called as her friend dug around in her closet for a dress.

"Nonsense," Max scoffed as she emerged with an armful of silky black and steel gray fabric. "You're like my little sister- I enjoy doing this."

Evy stood up from her perch by the bed, carefully sliding the dress Max held out for her over her head so as not to mess up her already done hair or makeup. "Really?" she asked, tugging the dress into place.

"Really what?" Martha asked, walking into the bedroom after carefully checking to make sure she wasn't intruding. "'Cause I really just got the Doctor into a tux."

Evy laughed, gently tugging the blown out strands of her long hair out from where the dress's halter had caught them. "Really? How'd you manage that?"

Martha leaned against the doorframe, looking smug. "I reminded him that it was black tie, and that his normal suit, since it was obviously not black tie, would either get him noticed, get him noticed and thrown out, or get all of us noticed and thrown out. Last I saw he was sulking his way to the TARDIS wardrobe."

Evy laughed again and clapped. "Way to go, Martha!" she exclaimed, before turning to look at herself in the mirror, evaluating the dress with a critical eye.

It was a lovely dress, made of silky steel gray material, with a black halter that came around the neck to make a bodice with an 'X' around her waist. But that wasn't what Evy was concerned about. It was short, baring her legs to above the knee- but it was fitted closely and had a sturdy halter, ensuring that even if she found herself running for her life this evening, which had about an eighty -no, ninety- percent chance of happening, as long as she minded her skirt, everything would stay in place. It would do. And, she admitted, it made her look nice too.

Evy nodded in satisfaction and turned to lace her converse back on, ignoring the black heels Max had laid out.

"What are you doing?" Both Max and Martha asked in unison, then turned to look at each other in surprise, making Evy laugh as she finished tying the knot on her left shoe.

"Last time I wore heels to a party," She said, starting on her right shoe, "I nearly tripped three times and almost twisted my ankle. Since this particular party," She tightened the first knot and began the second, "Has an increased chance of running for our lives, I'm going to forego the heels, thanks."

She finished her knot and stood up, taking in Martha's appearance. "You look lovely," She said. It was true- Martha's dress, while snatched out of her closet in a rush and even with its hasty ensemble, was very flattering.

Martha smiled. "Thanks. You look amazing, though." She said, almost enviously. Evy frowned for a minute, hearing the trace of jealousy- but Martha turned to Max, who was still in the Dropkick Murphys t-shirt and jeans they'd met her in.

"Aren't you gonna get dressed?"

Max shook her head, smiling. "I gave up that world gladly, a long time ago. If it's all the same to you, I think having just two people to sneak in is enough." She grinned at Martha, easily dispelling any offense her remark might have given. "No, I'll be waiting here if you need me."

Evy frowned. "You're not coming? But-"

Max silenced her friend's protest with another grin and shake of the head. "Nah, Evy, this is your deal. Enjoy it. I've found my niche- you go have fun searching for yours."

Evy continued to frown, detecting sorrow in Max's voice. "Is something wrong?"

Max internally cursed. She'd forgotten how perceptive her friend could be- and she wouldn't let the bad news of Rose impact Evy's fun. Because it was easy to see how much Evy wanted to do this.

"Nah." She said easily, smile slipping into place. She was saved from further cross-examination by the bang of a TARDIS door and a complaint from the living room.

Both Martha and Evy quickly hurried out of the bedroom, Max behind them, to see the Doctor fiddling with his suit and muttering complaints.

"Alright, that's it, you lot," Max said, feigning annoyance. "It's nearly seven; get going." And mock-seriously, she pushed them all out the door, laughing. As soon as they were out of earshot though, her face fell.

Moodily, she stared after her friend. Something was going on- just today, she'd had several men 'from the government' asking questions about Evy. She'd given them a load of B.S, but she wondered how long before they came again. Mr. Saxon's men.

Max shuddered and closed the door, deciding not to tell Evy about them. Her 'little sis' had enough on her plate- and would have a lot more very soon.

It was a lovely night as they left the cab they'd hired- Max's flat was far enough away from Lazarus Laboratories that they'd had to get one. Luckily, Martha had anticipated that and had a credit card to pay the driver with. Evy resolved that the woman deserved a medal for that. Walking the whole way there did not appeal, even in her sneakers.

"Will you stop that?" Martha asked as the Doctor fussed over the cuffs of his dress shirt for the seventh time in the last two minutes. Evy understood how he felt, though- she had an inescapable urge to fiddle with the halter of her nearly backless dress. She felt somehow very exposed this way- and it had nothing to do with the cold air that continued to chill her exposed skin. However, she had better self control.

"Oh, black tie," The Doctor muttered. "Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens."

Evy stifled a snicker of amusement. _The tuxedo of doom,_ she thought. _The Doctor's own personal curse. _

"It's not the outfit," Martha commented. "That's just you."

Idly, Evy wondered if that was true- weighing the times she knew of where the Doctor in a tux had run into trouble. _Nah. Curse of Black Tie, definitely. Huh. Maybe that applies to me, too. God, I hope not. That'd be inconvenient. _

"Anyway, I think it suits you," Martha continued. "In a 'James Bond' sort of way."

"James Bond?" he asked a bit defensively, fiddling with the bow tie before thinking on it a moment. "Really?"

Martha smiled winningly at him. "I'm more worried about this dress." She said, looking down at herself and playing with the skirt a bit. "What'd'ya think? How's it look?"

Evy's heart sank a bit for her when she saw the Doctor not even paying attention.

"Oh, brilliant!" He exclaimed. Martha smiled for a moment before realizing he was looking at a piece of paper he'd pulled out of his jacket.

"I thought I'd lost that!" He said happily. "United States Decleration of Independence. First Draft," he said, showing it to Martha, who had carefully hidden the hurt look on her face. "Before I got them to stick in the bit about the pursuit of happiness." And then he was off in a tangent about Thomas Jefferson and tomatoes.

With a sympathetic smile, Evy touched Martha's arm. "You look lovely, Martha." She said quietly, before the Doctor took notice of them again.

"Look! That must be the place!"

Martha and Evy just sighed in shared misery as they walked up to the entrance of Lazarus Laboratories.

~8~

The laboratory's main reception room was filled with dozens of guests, all mingling with each other- a string quartet played off to one side, and servers circled the room with trays of refreshments. But it was the large, white cabinet surrounded by four pillars sitting squarely in the middle that dominated the room.

Evy looked about with slight distaste- it seemed almost to be a monochromatic color scheme, dominated by the white of the cabinet and the lights and the black of the floor and dark colors of the guests' suits and dresses. Even her subtly colored dress seemed to shout defiance against the dark.

The Doctor, seemed not to notice as he zoomed in on the hors d'oeuvres.

"Oh, look, they've got nibbles!" he commented, reaching out and grabbing a handful. "I love nibbles!" he said as he popped one whole in his mouth.

Evy looked suspiciously at the tray as her stomach reminded her that it had been a long time- to her at least- since she had last eaten.

"What?" The Doctor said, devoring another one. "They're great!"

Evy gave him a doubtful look, moving aside so the server could move on, muttering a thank you to the girl as she passed in remembrance of all the times her mum had been a server at someone else's party. "I'll take your word for it, thanks."

Martha laughed as her sister approached them, "Hello!" the woman greeted, smiling as she gave Martha a one armed hug, holding a file full of papers in the other.

"Tish!" Martha called, hugging her sister back while the Doctor and Evy looked on.

"You look great," Tish remarked with some slight surprise, looking at her sister. "So, what do you think? Impressive, isn't it?"

Martha looked around, nodding in agreement. "Very."

"And two nights out in a row for you, that's dangerously close to a social life."

"If I keep this up, I'll end up in all the gossip columns." Evy snickered quietly at Martha's sarcasm while the Doctor continued to devour his goodies.

"You might, actually," Tish replied seriously, not noticing or ignoring her sister's jibe. "Keep an eye out for photographers. And mum, she's coming too, even dragging Leo along with her."

"Leo in black tie?" Martha asked incredulously. "_That_ I must see." Tish smiled, her eyes darting over to the pair standing off to the side. "This is Evy and, uh, the Doctor." Martha said, attempting nonchalance.

"Hello," the Doctor greeted, moving the nibbles into one hand to shake hers.

"Nice to meet you," Evy added with a not-to-fake smile, shaking Tish's hand after the Doctor's.

"Are they with you?" Tish said, smile becoming rather fixed as she turned to Martha

"Yeah," Martha said casually, almost defensively.

"But they're not on the list," Tish said, looking down at the clipboard in her hand, as she reexamined it. "How did they get in?"

"They're my plus…two?" Martha struggled to come up with an excuse.

Evy cut in gracefully, trying so save the flailing Martha. "Actually, that's just the Doctor. My Dad's friend is working here tonight- he said he'd let me in to a high society event if I wasn't too obvious about it." She smiled charmingly at Tish. "It's my birthday present. He's missed my last two- he felt awful, this being my sixteenth and all. And I just met your kind sister and her friend- we just got to talking."

Evy slipped back into the posh way of talking she remembered from Pete's world, the lie forming easily on her lips. The Doctor casually stepped on her toe, surreptitiously telling her to quit while she was ahead. Evy resisted the urge to kick him with her sneaker as she kept up her charming smile.

"Oh." Tish said, composing herself. "That's alright, I guess. Happy Birthday."

Evy nodded politely. "Thank you. It's a lovely party."

"So, this Lazarus bloke, he's your boss?" the Doctor asked, quickly changing the topic to avoid both further questions on Evy's quick lie and getting thrown out. Luckily, Tish didn't seem to notice.

"Professor Lazarus, yes," she nodded seriously. "I'm part of his executive staff."

"She's in the PR department," Martha rolled her eyes, gently teasing.

"I'm _head_ of the PR department, actually," Tish defended.

Martha's eyes widened in shock. "You're joking!"

"I put this whole thing together." Tish said, nodding around at their surroundings.

"So, do you know what the professor's going to be doing tonight?" The Doctor said, putting them back on track. "That looks like it might be a sonic microfield manipulator," he commented, turning around to glance back at the chamber.

"He's a science geek, I should have known." Tish remarked ruefully, sounding disappointed. Then she laughed slightly, without any humor. "Gotta get back to work now. I'll catch up with you later." She told Martha, then vanished.

"So, it's your birthday, Evy," The Doctor said reproachfully as Martha stifled giggles. Evy flushed a bit.

"Hey, it was last night. And I didn't see you offer any bright ideas!" She hissed. The Doctor raised an eyebrow before frowning and turning back to Martha.

"Science geek? What does that mean?"

"That you're obsessively enthusiastic about the topic," Martha smirked.

"Oh, nice!" He commented, looking pleased. Evy and Martha rolled their eyes at each other and walked over to examine the frosted glass chamber.

"Martha!" an older woman in a long, gold evening gown called, walking over to them. Martha turned around, and catching sight of the woman, immediately ran over to her, hugging her as though she hadn't seen her in years. "Mum!"

"Alright, what's the occasion?" her mother asked, pulling away, startled but pleased with the enthusiastic hug.

"What do you mean?" Martha smiled, "I'm just pleased to see you, that's all."

"You saw me last night."

"I know," Martha, said, shrugging it off, "I just…miss you…" she glanced over at her brother, "You're looking good, Leo."

"Yeah," he remarked, clearly uncomfortable in his formal outfit. "If anyone asks me to fetch 'em a drink, I'll swing for him."

Evy chuckled at Leo's joke- just as Martha's mother seemed to notice her and the Doctor standing awkwardly behind Martha. "You disappeared last night," she said, looking suspiciously at the Doctor and Martha.

"I...just went home," Martha offered, looking away a bit.

"On your own?" Francine pried, noticing and glancing over at Evy, who squirmed, suddenly uncomfortable.

"These are some friends of mine," Martha introduced quickly, seeing the look and pulling Evy and the Doctor forward, "This is Evy and the Doctor."

Francine's eyes took in Evy first. She glanced at her dress, then down at Evy's sneakers, with a faint disapproval. Evy suddenly felt very young and embarrassed, as she tried to tug her short skirt down a bit lower and hide her dirty and scuffed shoes. Francine nodded curtly, then turned to the Doctor.

"Doctor what?" her mother raised an eyebrow.

"No, it's just the Doctor. We've all been doing some work together."

"You all right, mate?" Leo said good naturedly, offering his hand to the Doctor, who shook it, before offering Evy his hand with a wink and a tilt of his head towards his mother. Evy smiled shyly back as she shook it.

The Doctor reached for Mrs. Jones' hand. "Lovely to meet you, Mrs. Jones," he said, smiling as he took it. "Heard a lot about you."

"Have you?" Mrs. Jones asked suspiciously, ignoring Evy, who was somewhat happy to be ignored, but annoyed by the woman's rudeness. "What have you heard, then?"

"Oh, you know, that you're Martha's mother and…um…" he trailed off as he and Martha exchanged a glance."No, actually, that's…that's about it. We haven't had much time to chat, you know, been busy."

"Busy?" she glared at the Doctor, looking between him and Martha, "Doing _what_, exactly?"

Evy almost gagged with suppressed laughter at the implication, but managed to stay silent by contorting her face into a hilarious position. Leo noticed her reaction and grinned at her, smothering a laugh of his own. Evy returned the smile, deciding she could get to like this man.

The implication was not lost on any of the others either. "Oh…you know…stuff…" The Doctor floundered, not really helping his case any. Evy grinned.

_Disapprove of lying, will he?_

Martha looked to her side when she heard a sound vaguely like stifled laughter, to see that Evy was, in fact, trying to cover up the leaking giggles, along with Leo, who was biting his lip in an attempt to keep his own mirth in check. "You're both loving this, aren't you?" Martha whispered.

"There's very few people I know of who can make him squirm like that," Evy managed to get out between giggles.

Martha frowned, wondering how Evy could know that just from her 'UNIT stories', but before she could speak, the sound of tapping on a glass drew everyone's attention to the center of the room- and the white cabinet. The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, and even Martha had to stifle a chuckle at his expression before turning to face the gentlemen who was speaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I'm going to perform a miracle," the old man from the TV announced. Evy watched him critically._ That's an awfully big claim to deliver on._

"It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you'll awake to a world which will be changed forever."

He turned and entered the cabinet, shutting the door while two female technicians began to start the machinery stationed off to the side. Evy was reminded strongly of the misogynistic stage magic shows- the ones where the magician was always male and the assistants always attractive, scantily clad women.

There was a high-pitched whir and a bright blue light began to emit from the pillars as they began spinning around the cabinet. Everyone but the Doctor looked away, shielding their eyes from the light created by the energy field. The pillars had begun to move faster and faster around the cabinet when suddenly a warning noise went off.

"Something's wrong," The Doctor shouted, unfolding his crossed arms. "It's overloading!"

The technicians raced to stop it and turn it off, but a few panels exploded, sending sparks flying and forcing the women to jump back. The Doctor ran forward, jumping over the desk and aiming the screwdriver at the controls as he flicked several of the switches.

"Somebody stop them!" Lazarus's partner ordered, "Get them away from those controls!"

Evy hesitated for a moment, caught between huddling with Martha and helping the Doctor. Computers were in the realm of her experience…

"If this thing goes off, it'll take the whole building with it!" the Doctor shouted back, flicking more switches as he did so. "Is that what you want?"

Evy glanced around one last time before internally sighing and running over to the Doctor, carefully sliding over the desk rather than jumping to make sure her dress remained in place- and that the crowd of males behind her didn't get an unanticipated show.

With practiced eyes and experienced hands she carefully examined the cabinet of wires- and yanked out the thickest one, breathing a sigh of relief as the machine slowly stopped spinning and the energy field retreated.

"How'd you know that?" The Doctor said, looking amazed as he climbed back over the desk. Evy swallowed heavily. "The thickest wire is … usually the most important," She said breathlessly, before the Doctor caught sight of Martha running to the door of the chamber and grabbed her hand, pulling her over to join Martha.

"Get it open!" he shouted, as Martha pulled the door away to reveal a younger Lazarus, emerging from a cloud of smoke. Photographers instantly began snapping away while Martha, Evy, and the crowd looked on in amazement. Lazarus touched his face, his eyes widening as he realized the process had worked.

Lazarus took a few steps out of the cabinet, stand before the crowd as he spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus. I am 76 years old and I am reborn!" He held out his hands in triumph as everyone around him began to clap.

~8~

The Doctor, Martha, and Evy stood off to the side, watching as people lined up to take pictures with Lazarus, the Doctor examining the cabinet.

"It can't be the same guy," Martha stated, eyes focused on Lazarus. "It's impossible. It must be a trick."

"Oh, it's not a trick," the Doctor told her, flashing the sonic around a bit as he got a reading, "I wish it were."

"What just happened, then?" Evy said curiously, Martha still focused on the new young man.

"He just changed what it means to be human," the Doctor sighed.

"So is he human?" Evy asked quietly, eyes once again fixed on Lazarus.

"What do you mean?" Martha asked.

Evy turned around to face them. "Well, if you change 'what it means' to be human" her fingers formed air quotes to highlight her point, "Than is that still 'human'? I mean, words' meanings change all the time, but definition of species…" she trailed off, watching as the now young man began scarfing down food off of a tray.

The Doctor frowned as he saw what she was looking at. "Good point. Let's find out," he said, before walking over to the young man. Evy and Martha followed behind, coming to stand on either side of him. Evy got stuck with the side next to Lazarus, and gave Martha a dirty look. Martha grinned.

"Energy deficit," the Doctor commented, nodding towards the food on the tray, "Always happens with this kind of process."

"You speak as if you see this every day, Mr.…" Lazarus trailed off, mouth still full of food. At the sight of it, Evy's stomach protested again. Sternly, she told it to shut up.

"Doctor. And, well, no, not every day, but I have some experience in this kind of transformation."

"That's not possible," Lazarus shook his head.

"Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance," the Doctor replied, clearly proving he did indeed have a 'experience' with such things., "That's…that's inspired." He said admiringly.

Evy glanced at the forgotten tray still in Lazarus's hand, wondering if it was worth it to try and snatch something off it. She grimaced. Better not.

"You understand the theory, then," Lazarus said, surprised.

"Enough to know that you couldn't possibly have allowed for all the variables," the Doctor said seriously, looking at Lazarus as though he might explode.

"No experiment is entirely without risk," Lazarus replied, shrugging off his concern as he popped another snack in his mouth, licking his fingers.

"That thing nearly exploded," Evy retorted, speaking up for the first time as she glared at him- and the food on the tray, irritation born out of both his callous disregard and her unsatisfied hunger.

"You might as well have stepped into a blender." The Doctor added.

"You're not qualified to comment," his partner, an old woman, remarked. "Neither of you."

Her gaze lingered on Evy's hem- which was several inches shorter than most others in the room- and her shoes. Once again Evy felt the urge to squirm in discomfort. This time though, she was also annoyed. _Alright, lay off the Converse, people. Is it such a crime to wear comfortable shoes? Especially when they're part of my life insurance policy?_

"If Evy hadn't stopped it, it would have exploded," the Doctor glared at the woman, a flash of surprising protectiveness rising in him. He didn't like how she had sneered at Evy- or at him, but particularly at Evy. How dare she claim Evy wasn't qualified? She'd known enough at _sixteen_ to see something had gone wrong and help him shut it down.

"Then I thank you, Miss, Doctor," he nodded to each of them, "But that's a simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less."

"You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests," Martha argued.

Lazarus just laughed, "Look at me! You can see what happened. I'm all the proof you need."

"This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially," his partner tried to assure them. Evy looked at her as if she had gone insane.

"Commercially?" Martha's eyes widened. "You're joking. That'll cause chaos."

"Not chaos," Lazarus smiled, "Change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve." Evy bit her tongue to remain polite. _If that's your improvement, I'd hate to see your goal. Or your final product. _

"This isn't about improving," the Doctor said scornfully. "It's about you and your customers living a little longer."

"Not a little longer, Doctor," Lazarus shook his head, smirking confidently. "A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely."

_That's not necessarily a good thing, _Evy countered in her head.

"Richard, we have things to discuss," his partner said suddenly, glaring at Evy, who stared right back, though not without confusion. "Upstairs."

She turned and walked away as Lazarus moved to follow her, pausing to turn and speak to the trio once more. Evy moved slightly to watch him go from the Doctor's side. "Goodbye, Miss, Doctor. In a few years, you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were," He said, smiling as he reached out, taking Evy's hand and kissing it.

It took every ounce of her self control to grit her teeth and let him, instead of smacking him for his arrogance and the nerve to hit on a girl sixty years younger than him.

"He is so far out of his depth," The Doctor said, shaking his head sadly. "He has no idea of the damage he might have done."

"Yes," Evy agreed, looking at her hand distastefully. "And he's a creeper. Seriously, though, I don't care how young he looks, hitting on a girl sixty years younger than you is disgusting no matter how you slice it."

"So what do we do now?" Martha turned back to them, choosing to ignore Evy's remark for the time being.

"Now…well, this building must be full of laboratories," the Doctor remarked, "I say we do our own tests. And I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said, catching Evy's wrist as she was about to wipe off her hand.

Martha looked down Evy's hand and smiled, "Lucky we've just collected a DNA sample then, isn't it?"

"Oh, Martha Jones, you're a star," the Doctor smiled before leading them off.

~8~

The trio was sitting in a lab, looking at the results of Lazarus's DNA on the computer screen. Evy watched carefully, absentmindedly wiping at her hand. Noticing what she was doing, Evy quickly stopped.

"Amazing…" The Doctor said as he looked at the screen, not sure if she was impressed or horrified.

"What?" Martha and Evy both glanced at him.

"Lazarus's DNA," the Doctor answered.

"I can't see anything different," Martha frowned, looking at the screen.

"Look at it!" the Doctor pointed just as the screen flickered and changes appeared on the DNA.

"Oh, my God!" Martha's eyes widened, "Did that just change? But it can't have!"

"But it did," Evy confirmed, her own eyes wide at what she had just witnessed.

"It's impossible!"

"And that's two impossible things we've seen tonight," the Doctor grinned, turning to both girls. "Don't you love it when that happens?"

"That means Lazarus has changed his own molecular patterns," Martha gasped.

"Hypersonic sound waves to destabilize the cell structure then a mutagenic program to manipulate the coding in the protein strands," the Doctor explained, but Martha didn't seem to be following, and neither did Evy, who had much more basis in mechanics than in biology.

"I understood about half of that," Evy reminded him, setting her elbows on the lab table and setting her head in her hands.

"Basically, he hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate," The Doctor simplified.

"But they're still mutating now," Martha shook her head.

"'Cos he missed something," the Doctor added."Something in his DNA has been activated and won't let him stabilize. Something that's trying to change him."

"Change him into what?" Evy asked, shaking her head in confusion.

"I dunno, but I think we need to find out," the Doctor replied.

"That woman said they were going upstairs." Martha supplied, eyes wide.

"Let's go!" the Doctor shouted, jumping off his chair and heading for the door, the other two following.

~8~

They stepped off the lift and into Lazarus's office, the Doctor turning on the lights.

"This is his office, alright," Evy stated, looking around. "Biggest one in the building."

"So, where is he?" the Doctor frowned.

"Dunno," Martha shrugged, "Let's try back at the re…ception…" she trailed, spotting something on the ground. She rushed towards it, the other two as well when they saw skeletal bones lying behind a desk, wearing high heels.

Evy nearly gagged when she saw the dried out remains of Lazarus's partner. Carefully, she stepped away, toward the window, when she caught sight of something on Lazarus's desk. A manila folder- a case file. Thinking it might help, she left the body to the Doctor and Martha, sitting herself down at the desk.

"Is that Lady Thaw?" Martha gasped, staring at the body.

"Used to be," the Doctor replied grimly, "Now it's just a shell. Had all the life energy drained out. Like squeezing the juice out of an orange."

Evy only half listened as she opened the folder to reveal pages of writing in cramped, hard to read script. A mix of hastily jotted off lab notes and spidery cursive. Squinting to make sense of the letters and feeling as though she was going cross eyed, she began to read.

"Lazarus," Martha breathed.

"Could be," The Doctor frowned.

Evy could only make out a few specific phrases or sentences here and there- the script was murder on her eyes- but what she read made it clear that this was NOT about what Lazarus had done tonight. Or, at least not directly.

"So he's changed already?" Martha asked, getting worried. Evy squashed her own growing concern and continued to read. It seemed to be a collection of notes on the project- whatever it was.

_Saxon most pleased with progress of… as a result… funding channeled… Rejuvenation Machine. _That must be what he called the capsule downstairs. _Project advancing rapidly… ready at the end of… by election… as requested. _

"Not necessarily," The Doctor reassured her, "You saw the DNA. It was fluctuating."

Evy rubbed at her eyes, which were watering. "Um, guys?" She called. "You might want to read this."

"Not now, Evy," The Doctor replied over his shoulder, before returning to Martha and the body. "The process must demand energy. This might not have been enough."

Evy sighed, rolled her eyes (which hurt), and turned back to her reading.

_Saxon is ….pleased- project verified stable date_…Evy verified that it was yesterday's date by checking against Lazarus's desk calendar_… moved to his personal … secure facility. Upper labs… sterilized and returned to normal date…_This date was today's._ All traces of project…been removed… Saxon's orders._

Evy sighed. So there was no remaining trace of this mysterious project- the one it sounded like the sponsor of Lazarus's experiment was originally interested in. She leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes.

"So he might do this again?" Martha's eyes widened in horror- and Evy's eyes snapped open, trying to catch up with the conversation.

"Do that again?" She said, horrified as she gestured to the body on the floor. The Doctor could only nod before Martha was running for the lifts, him after her. They needed to warn people and get them out.

"Evy!" He called her, seeing her engrossed in something. "Come on!"

Evy jumped and flipped the file closed. She hastily stood, pausing for a moment to read the label handwritten across the file tab. _CASE: Son/Master. _

"Evy!" The shout came from the lift as the Doctor held it open. Storing the seemingly nonsensical words in the back of her head for later, Evy sprinted for the lift, faith now fully restored in her unorthodox choice of footwear.


	24. Shockwave

**Ah, my goal is lying in shreds before me, at 1 in the morning, an hour and eighteen minutes into 2013. Still, I promise you, loyal readers, that the fast paced updates will continue. Also, this chapter was a pain in the butt to write. More words kept getting tacked on until it's 8,000 strong and ending on an unintended cliffie. Ah, well. Enjoy. It'll be resolved tommorrow- or later today. You know what to do by now-**

**G'night, luvs. **

* * *

They got back to the reception area and quickly began looking around for Lazarus, but so far were having no luck.

"I can't see him," Martha called as they scouted around.

"Ordinarily that'd be a good thing," Evy muttered, weaving her way carefully through the crowd. "But right when we actually _want_ him, he's gone."

"He can't be far," the Doctor replied, eyes darting around as he searched for Lazarus. "Keep looking."

He wandered off in one direction, leaving the girls to themselves as they continued to look. Evy made to follow him, only to be determinedly held back by Martha. Martha might have been worried about her family with Lazarus around, but she was not letting Evy out of her sight when Lazarus had expressed such interest in her before.

Evy sighed and didn't protest, reaching experimentally for a drink before Martha knocked her hand away.

"Hey!"

"If you're legal, I'm a Time Lord," Martha hissed disapprovingly as she continued to scan the crowd for Lazarus- or her family. Evy nearly choked- Martha had no idea how close she had come to Evy's secret. She seemed to be doing that a lot- first the photo, now this. "And we don't need anyone muddled while we sort this."

Evy sighed, and was about to reluctantly agree before Leo caught sight of them, his own drink in his hand. Evy glanced at it enviously.

"Hey, you alright, Marth?" Leo asked, seeing Martha looking around with a flustered expression. "I think mum wants to talk to you."

"Have you see Lazarus anywhere?" Evy asked, glancing around.

"Yeah," he nodded, "He was getting cozy with Tish a couple of minutes ago."

"With _Tish_?" Martha exclaimed as the Doctor joined them.

"Ah, Doctor," Mrs. Jones said, coming over towards them.

"Where did they go?" The Doctor asked Leo, ignoring Mrs. Jones as she trying to get his attention.

"Upstairs I think, why?" Leo frowned.

"Doctor…" Mrs. Jones began but the Doctor ignored her, rushing past her, bumping into the woman's arm, spilling her drink, "I'm speaking to you!" she shouted after them.

"Not now, mum!" Martha called back, following her friend.

"Sorry for his mess," Evy added over her shoulder as she brought up the rear. Mrs. Jones watched them go with a thoroughly annoyed and exasperated expression. None of them, however, paid her any attention as they ran back to the lift and quickly made their way back up to Lazarus's office.

It was empty, as before. Curious, Evy glanced at the desk. The manila folder was gone. She frowned. So it _was_ important-

"Where are they?" Martha asked, spinning around but seeing no sign of her sister or Lazarus.

The Doctor had already pulled out the sonic screwdriver and was fiddling with it, "Fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signature," he muttered by way of explanation. "We might be able to pick it up…" He said, moving it around the room to pick up the different signature. "Got him."

"Where?" Martha looked around again, following the sonic's path. The Doctor moved the screwdriver up, pointing it at the ceiling, where the signature was strongest.

"Oh, no." Evy groaned.

"But this is the top floor!" Martha protested. "The roof!" She realized as the group ran for the stairs and up them, crashing out onto the roof to find Lazarus and Tish standing far too close to each other.

_Oh, gross. _Evy thought, cringing. It was very clear from their posture that Lazarus and Tish had been flirting quite handily- and were close to getting beyond that.

"…always something to surprise you," Lazarus was saying. "'Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act…'"

"'Falls the shadow,'" the Doctor finished, in unison with Evy. For a second, they both glanced at each other, surprised.

Lazarus turned to see the trio standing there, "So the beautiful stranger and mysterious Doctor know their Eliot. I'm impressed." His gaze flicked to Evy, who was beginning to shiver in the now chill air.

Evy saw his gaze and folded her arms defiantly over her chest. "Yeah, you seemed impressed with a lot more than that, earlier," she said snarkily, glaring back at him. "And it wasn't my Eliot." Lazarus seemed almost amused by her hostility.

"Martha, what are you doing here?" Tish demanded, glancing stonily at Evy.

_Oh, so someone did have plans for our dear professor, _Evy thought; not, at the moment, inclined to be charitable.

"Tish, get away from him," Martha warned, voice carefully controlled.

"What?" Tish glared at her, glancing at Lazarus with a bit of guilt. "Don't tell me what to do."

"I wouldn't have thought you had time for poetry Lazarus, what with you being busy defying the laws of nature and all," the Doctor commented, attempting to distract Lazarus so Martha could get her sister away from him- _and_ so, he admitted to himself, he would stop looking at Evy like that.

"You're right, Doctor," he sighed, eyes leaving Evy only slowly, lingering as they came to the Doctor. "One lifetime's been too short for me to do everything I'd like. How much more would I get done in two or three or four?" He smirked.

"It doesn't work like that," Evy frowned, remembering something very wise she had once read, though she couldn't remember where. "Some people can live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not thetime lived that matters, it's the person who lived it."

The Doctor's eyes flicked in surprise and admiration to Evy for a heartbeat before returning to Lazarus.

"But if it's the right person," Lazarus said indulgently, as if correcting a mistaken child. "What a gift that would be."

"Or what a curse," the Doctor argued, once again drawing attention away from the young girl beside him. "Look at what you've _done _to yourself," He said pityingly. Lazarus's expression instantly hardened.

"Who are you to judge me?" he said angrily.

"Over here, Tish," Martha pleaded, motioning for her sister to walk over, which, thankfully, she did.

"You have to spoil everything, don't you?" Tish hissed accusingly at Martha. "Every time I find someone nice, you have to go and find fault."

"Umm-" Evy murmured, staring at Lazarus.

"Tish, he's a monster!" Martha shouted back, just as Lazarus began to collapse to the ground, convulsing.

"I know the age thing's a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones," Tish said dismissively, not noticing Lazurus's collapse as she shrugged it off. But suddenly the sound of growling reached her and Tish slowly turned around. There was a collective intake of breath as all of them watched, realizing that Lazarus had, indeed, turned into a monster.

For a heartbeat, all of them were frozen, staring up at the enormous thing resembling a giant skeletal scorpion- with Lazarus's face and head stuck on top.

"What the-" Tish began, just as the monster began to raise its tail.

"RUN!" the Doctor shouted as the monster reared up, ready to attack.

Martha, Tish, Evy, and the Doctor raced inside moments before Lazarus could catch them. The Doctor turned to seal the lock of the door with the sonic while Martha frantically pushed the button for the lift.

"Are you ok?" she turned to her sister.

"I was gonna snog him." Tish said in horror.

"You were _what_?" Evy said disbelievingly- before Lazarus banged heavily on the door, making them all stagger back a few paces, and triggering some sort of security response.

Sirens began to blare as a computerized warning echoed over the loudspeakers. "Security one. Security one. Security one."

"What's happening?" Martha looked around, concerned, as the lights went out.

"Uh, an intrusion," Tish explained, closing her eyes as she tried to remember. "It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts. Seals the exits."

"Oh, that's handy." Evy said sarcastically. "You pay extra for that?"

"You, hush. He must be breaking through that door," the Doctor reasoned. Evy shrugged off the rebuke.

"The stairs, come on!" He shouted, running towards them as the three girls followed.

Just as they got most of the way down the first flight, they heard the door crash open above them. "He's inside!" Martha shouted from behind Evy, who jerked her head up to look- before taking the stairs two at a time and using the rail to swing herself over the small gap between flights, landing on the second.

_Can't do that in heels, _She thought smugly, steadying herself on the stair before once again dashing down the steps, now just behind the Doctor.

"Haven't got much time!" the Doctor yelled back as they continued to run. They didn't stop until they reached the reception once again. "Tish," he turned to her, "Is there another way out of here?"

"There's an exit in the corner," she replied, shaken, pointing to the corner in question. "But it'll be locked now."

The Doctor tossed the sonic screwdriver to Martha. "Martha, setting 54. Hurry."

She rushed off, followed by Tish, and dragging Evy with her as the Doctor jumped onto the platform in front of Lazarus's machine.

"Listen to me!" he shouted, "You people are in serious danger! You need to get out of here right now!"

"Don't be ridiculous," a snooty woman in an evening gown remarked, "The biggest danger here is choking on an olive."

In that moment glass shattered on the second floor and Lazarus appeared, roaring before leaping down onto the reception floor. Martha, Evy, and Tish all glanced over their shoulders in horror before redoubling their efforts on the door.

"Mum!" Evy heard Leo calling, as there was a roar and the sound of something smashing. "Get back!"

She looked up just as Lazarus pushed a table out of the way and sent it flying towards Leo, knocking him out. "Leo!" Mrs. Jones called, rushing to her son's side.

Finally, Martha and Tish they got to open it as the panicked crowd reached them. "Over here!" Martha shouted as she got the door open, "This way! Everyone downstairs now! Hurry!"

Evy pulled a few people to their feet, pushing them towards the door as she wormed through the crowd, looking frantically for the Doctor.

Lazarus closed in on the snooty woman, who was just standing there, staring at the monster in shock.

"Move!" Evy shouted at her, unheard as she tried to push toward the woman, struggling against the hordes of fleeing guests.

"No!" the Doctor shouted as Lazarus attacked her, "Get away from her!"

Too late, the woman fell to the floor, drained of life. Lazarus, however, just turned, making his way towards Mrs. Jones and the now barely conscious Leo. "Lazarus!" the Doctor tried again, this time getting his attention. "Leave them alone!"

While his back was turned Martha ran to her brother's side, helping him up.

"Martha," her mother breathed, reaching out to caress Martha's hair, but Martha ignored her, focusing on her brother's injury.

"C'mon, stay with me," Martha whispered to Leo, helping her mother pull him away before Lazarus could turn around and attack again.

"What's the point if you can't control it?" the Doctor shouted, drawing the monster's attention away, "The mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help you. You're a fool, a vain old man who thought he could defy nature. Only nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure!"

Lazarus roared, enraged, as the Doctor turned and ran, drawing Lazarus across the room after him.

Evy swore descriptively and creatively for several seconds, utilizing about five languages and a couple dozen alien words she wasn't supposed to know in a paragraph of obscenity that would probably have earned her several months of punishment detail if any UNIT official with a mere smattering of linguistics had been there before taking off after him, darting down the hall just before Lazarus reached it. Her calves burning as she struggled to catch up, Evy decided then and there that if they survived this, she was going to take him apart. And then, when Rose and he were reunited, she was going to make sure she turned her mother on him.

The Doctor noticed the pattern of footfalls beside him- even over the roar of the mutant chasing him. Or- them, he saw, glancing beside him, that Evy ran there, shorter legs struggling but managing to keep up.

"What are you _doing_?" He yelled at the panting girl, now slightly behind him and to his right.

"Keeping up," She struggled to say. "It's not like I can turn back now, is it?"

The Doctor risked a glance back as they streaked around a corridor- and had to agree. Evy followed after him, nearly tripping as her exhausted legs attempted to give out. Without a thought, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up and after him.

"Come on, then!" He yelled as the mutant gained a few feet on them. Evy didn't reply, wisely saving her breath, but her slender fingers twined around his, linking them. He was surprised- but he couldn't help but notice, as they took off down the increasingly bleak corridors, leading them toward the service space, how good it felt to have someone holding his hand again- and how natural it felt for it to be Evy.

They burst through the metal door, the Doctor practically carrying Evy, who was visibly failing, even though she valiantly tried to continue. Quickly, the Doctor pushed her ahead of him, clambering over pipes as he sought a spot where they could hide with some success.

Evy's breath was coming in gasps as he found a place amongst a line of heating ducts. "You alright?" he asked, concerned as she continued to pant, her attempts to be quiet hampering her body's efforts.

"Be fine," She gasped out, waving him off as her breathing evened out a bit. And just in time- the door screeched to accommodate Lazarus's bulk, indicating his arrival. Carefully, the Doctor eased them into a more secure position.

"It's no good, Doctor." The voice whispered, echoing through the room as the shadow of the creature moved along the row of controls opposite them. "You can't stop me."

"Is that the same arrogance you had when you swore nothing had gone wrong with your device?" The Doctor called out, eyes searching both for the creature and for a way out as he again grabbed Evy's hand, pulling her with him as he noted, with some relief, that her breathing had stabilized.

"The arrogance is yours. You can't stand in the way of progress." The voice slithered, the last words almost having a teasing tone. Evy carefully crept alongside the Doctor, eyes also now searching above them for the mutant.

"You call feeding on innocent people progress?" The Doctor challenged, head swiveling as he tried to pinpoint the location of Lazarus. It was a contest, Evy realized, like a sick and twisted sort of game. They were both trying to locate the other first- The Doctor to escape, Lazarus to- well. "You're delusional!" The Doctor shouted angrily, in direct attempt to anger the creature and draw it out.

"It is a necessary sacrifice," The voice argued, sounds of clanging metal echoing around the room. The Doctor pulled Evy down among the pipes, teeth clenched as he tried to locate Lazarus.

"That's not your decision to make," He refuted. Suddenly, the lights flicked back on, illuminating a room formerly draped in concealing shadow.

Carefully, the Doctor eased out from under the pipes, still holding Evy's hand and drawing her behind him as he looked for Lazarus.

"Peek-a-boo," The voice said, almost laughing. Slowly, the Doctor's gaze climbed upward. "Oh," He said quietly, facing something. Evy slowly followed his gaze- and shrieked when she saw Lazarus hanging from the ceiling directly above them, face inches away from theirs.

They both ran for the metal door, the Doctor flinging it open and shoving Evy through in front of him before they once again ran back down the corridors.

This time, though, they fled into another lab, much like the one they'd looked at Lazarus's DNA in earlier. Evy let go of the Doctor's hand as he jogged around the aisle, spinning as he took in the materials laid out on the tables; trying do figure out what to do.

And then suddenly, catching sight of one of the lights, he ran over to a lab table, jumping up onto it and twisting the glass shade off.

"What are you doing?!" Evy shouted, not at all following his train of thought. There was a bang on the lab doors, and both of them spun to glance at them, frozen for a moment.

"Crossing two wires," he said, carefully manipulating the electrical leading to the lightbulb.

"But that'll-" Evy's eyes widened. "You're not."

"Yep!" He grinned at her, leaping down off the table and turning the gas nozzle, opening it to full capacity before wheeling to repeat it at another station. Evy hastened to do the same at the stations nearest her.

"I always did want to destroy a science lab," Evy shouted at him as they raced around, freeing the gas. The parallelism between this and her mother's adventure with Dickens did not escape her.

"Why's that then?" The Doctor shouted back as, Finishing her row, Evy darted into the Doctor's. "Mostly 'cause our teacher was a nutter." Evy replied, just as another several bangs told them that Lazarus had broken through. Instantly they ducked down to avoid being spotted. Carefully, the Doctor's hand snaked out to open another valve.

"More hide and seek, Doctor?" Lazarus said tauntingly. "How disappointing."

"Just letting you know," Evy whispered to the Doctor, attempting to sound casual as they crept along the aisles, turning on as many valves as they could reach, "If you get us blown up, I'll kill you."

Another crash from the front of the lab sent them hastily to the next aisle.

"Why don't you come out and face me?" Lazarus continued. The Doctor turned to Evy, who was crouching beside him, both hearts racing.

The looked at each other. "You trust me, right?" The Doctor asked. Evy nodded fractionally, eyes wide with fright. "Good. You looked in the mirror lately?" The Doctor called out to Lazarus, taking Evy's hand again and standing up. "Why would we want to face that? Hmm?"

Evy felt a grin start to break over her face- just as Lazarus lunged, sending shards of debris flying as he charged. Quickly, both of them ran for the door, the Doctor hitting the light switch as they ran out- and moments later, the lab exploded in a ball of flame and a tremendous crash of breaking glassware, knocking them both to the floor.

"Ow." Evy said after a moment of careful consideration, feeling a sting of pain on her forehead- before the Doctor pulled her to her feet and they were once again running like mad down the hall. Suddenly, as they swung around a corner, Martha appeared, crashing into them.

"What are you doing here?" the Doctor demanded when he saw who he'd run into.

"I'm returning this," She said with a smile, hold out the screwdriver for him, "I thought you might need it."

"How did you…"

She grinned. "Heard the explosion; guessed it was you."

"Guessed right," Evy said, her own grin forming.

"We blasted Lazarus," The Doctor nodded.

"Did you kill him?" she asked hopefully.

Evy heard another crash and turned, with a sinking heart, to see Lazarus crashing down the hall. "I wish."

"More sort of annoyed him, I'd say," the Doctor replied before pulling them both down the hall as Lazarus clambered his way up onto the hall overhang.

%

They ran back into the reception room, now deserted, tables and food strewn about haphazardly. "What do we do now?" Martha asked, looking around as she tried to come up with something. "We've just gone round in a circle!"

Lazarus burst into the room, roaring in fury. Thinking fast, the Doctor pulled them towards the machine, "We can't lead him outside. Come on, get in," he said, pushing them all into the device and barely managing to close the door behind them.

"Um.." Evy said breathlessly, seeing a lot of the Doctor's shirtfront and a bit more of Martha's dress than she really wanted to. She decided not to think about how much either of them was seeing of her. "This is a bit awkward."

"Yeah." Martha agreed, a bit out of breath as she was sure someone's elbow was pressed into her lungs. "Did you know you're bleeding?"

"What?" Both Evy and the Doctor said together.

"Cut on your forehead," Martha explained, accidently jabbing Evy in the ribs as she reflexively tried to point. Evy stopped herself trying to see the impossible. "'M fine. Worry about it later." She squeezed out, feeling as though her lungs were being compressed.

"Are we hiding?" Martha asked the Doctor, who seemed to be staring at the thin line of red trickling down Evy's forehead.

"No, he knows we're here," he commented after a moment, refocusing. "But this is his masterpiece. I'm betting he won't destroy it, not even to get at us."

"But we're trapped!"

"Well, yeah, that's a slight problem…"

"Slight?" Evy asked incredulously.

"You mean you don't have a plan?" Martha's eyes widened.

"Yes, the plan was to get inside here!" The Doctor said indignantly.

"Then what?!" Martha demanded.

"Well- Then I'd come up with another plan." He said sheepishly.

"Take your time then," Evy replied with breathless sarcasm. "We've only got all day!"

The Doctor looked around the capsule- as Lazarus roared outside. Unexpectedly, he started to squirm, trying to reach the sonic.

"Hey!" Martha protested- a sentiment Evy echoed with an indignant _Oi!_ a heartbeat later as the Doctor both jabbed her in several bony spots and shoved his elbow into her ribcage.

"Sorry, Sorry, Sorry!" He apologized hastily, managing to pull it out.

"What're you gonna do with that?" Evy asked in irritation as the Doctor switched it on.

"Improvise." He replied, looked at both of them before sliding down the chamber to the floor, using the sonic to pop open a panel. Evy and Martha exchanged looks of mutual discomfort. Outside, Lazarus continued to crawl over the device, making both Evy and Martha cringe.

"I still don't understand where that thing came from." Martha said, seeing the shadow of the creature on the frosted glass. "Is it alien?"

"No, for once it's strictly human in origin." The Doctor replied, turning on the sonic.

"Well, there's a change," Evy injected, trying to flatten herself against the wall to give the Doctor as much room as possible.

"Human?" Martha exclaimed. "How can it be human?!"

"Probably from dormant genes in Lazarus's DNA. The energy field in this thing must have reactivated them." The Doctor said quickly, looking up and Martha and Evy. "And it looks like they're becoming dominant."

"So it's a throwback." Martha muttered. The Doctor glanced back up at her from the panel of wires he was now working on.

"Some option that evolution rejected for you millions of years ago, but the potential is still there. Locked away in your genes, forgotten about until Lazarus unlocked it by mistake."

"It's like Pandora's box." Martha commented.

Evy herself shuddered. "You mean, I could end up like that thing?"

"You have the potential, yes," The Doctor clarified, adjusting several cords on the panel, but Evy wasn't listening.

"God, now I wish I was entirely Ti- alien." Evy caught herself just in time- and she could have slapped herself for the slip. Luckily, the Doctor didn't seem to notice, but Martha's eyes narrowed as she caught it- and the flush on Evy's cheeks.

"I forgot about that." The Doctor said, the sonic buzzing at their feet. "Nice shoes by the way."

The sneakers they both wore were exactly the same, except in size and amount of dirt. Evy blushed. "Life Insurance policy." She replied.

Suddenly, the chamber flooded with blue light, and a whirring noise started to sound throughout the chamber. Martha and Evy's eyes widened.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Evy asked, eyes darting around the chamber. She had a strong suspicion that she knew, but hoped desperately that she was wrong.

"Sounds like he turned on the machine." The Doctor replied as he redoubled his efforts with the sonic, fingers full of wires.

_Oh, nope, I was right. Lucky me. _

"And that's not good, is it?" Martha snapped, terrified.

"Well, I was hoping it was going to take him a little bit longer to work that out." The Doctor snapped back.

"We don't want to hurry you, but-" Martha said, flinching away as the blindingly blue light struck her in the eyes.

"I know! I know! Nearly done!" The Doctor shouted, frantically waving the sonic around.

"But what are you doing?!" Evy shouted back, panic beginning to creep into her voice.

"I'm trying to set the capsule to reflect energy rather than receive it!" The Doctor said, fingers flying as he frantically manipulated the wires.

"Will that kill him?" Martha asked hopefully, closing her eyes as the light intensity increased.

"When he transforms he's three times his size. Cellular Triplication, so he's spreading himself thin!"

The light doubled again, and both Martha and Evy clutched at each other's arm.

"Oh, god we're gonna end up like him!" Martha shrieked. Evy's mind was to full of incoherent terror for her to say anything.

"Just one more!" The Doctor yelled back, flicking the switch. Suddenly, there was a huge blast and a crash from outside as the machine powered down. Slowly, the Doctor eased open the door, Evy and Martha cautiously following him. Evy gasped air into her lungs, glad to once again be able to breathe freely.

"I thought we were going to go through the blender then," Martha commented, stepping out onto the floor. The Doctor glanced back at the capsule, the door of which was now hanging open.

"Really shouldn't take that long to reverse the polarity," He muttered to himself. "I must be a bit out of practice."

Evy just shook her head before following them as they walked over to Lazarus's body, which had once again shifted back into his young form. He laid face down on the floor, unmoving, eyes endlessly staring at nothing.

"Oh, God. He seems so… human again." Martha said, taking in the body lying before her. "It's kind of pitiful." She glanced over at the Doctor.

"Eliot saw that, too." He replied softly, meeting her gaze. "This is the way the world ends…"

"Not with a bang, but with a whimper." Evy finished quietly, feeling a strange ache in her chest. Something tickled the edge of her eye, and when she reached to wipe it away, her fingers came away smeared red with blood. She didn't notice, though- consumed with morbid fascination as she stared at the corpse lying before her.

The Doctor and Martha, turning to look at her as she spoke, hurriedly focused their attention on her, noticing the red all over her hand and forehead.

"Alright, let's have a look at that," the Doctor said, dragging Evy to one of the abandoned benches scattered around the edge of the room. Evy didn't resist, still staring at Lazarus's body. Even after the Doctor sat her down at one of those benches, kneeling before her to examine the wound- with a surprised looking Martha standing behind him- Evy continued to gaze at it.

"Hey," The Doctor said gently, drawing her attention toward him and away from the body. "Evy? Look at me, alright?" Slowly, and with great relief on the Doctor's part, Evy drew her gaze away from the body and back to the Doctor.

But as he met her eyes, carefully looking for signs of concussion- he had a vague memory of her hitting the floor in the blast about the same time she'd picked up the cut- he was scared to see the slightly dead look in Evy's eyes as she gazed dully at him.

"Martha," he asked, "Could you go get me something to clean this up with?" He only noticed that she quickly obeyed- but behind him, already a bit miffed at being pushed out of the position that was supposed to be hers, Martha's lips tightened in momentary anger as she went to find what he'd requested.

"This do?" She asked, bringing back the now half melted bucket of ice she'd used for Leo and another napkin.

"Brilliant, thanks." He said, barely sparing her a glance as he wet the cloth and began gently wiping away the blood on Evy's forehead. Martha plopped down on the bench opposite him, feeling hurt at how much attention he was giving to Evy whilst ignoring her. But, that was just the way he was, she supposed- he didn't mean to hurt her; he just- did.

Evy however, was not noticing any of this. Her blue eyes stared sightlessly in the Doctor's direction as her mind tried to reconcile the sight of Lazarus's corpse to her own concept of death. The husks the mutant had left hadn't bothered her, really- they were obviously human, but they didn't look it. They meshed easily with her version of death- a cold, bloodless, white thing of still bodies carefully arranged for the funeral and peaceful, closed eyes. Not the sightless stare Lazarus possessed, which her mind, even though she now gazed on the Doctor, forced her to see again and again.

Slowly though, the image faded, and she became aware of a gentle hand on her forehead, washing away the blood. It felt nice, despite the slight sting the water created on the open skin. Blinking, Evy managed to get her eyes to focus- and saw the Doctor looking at her with concern.

"You alright?" He asked. Evy lowered her eyes and nodded. "Am now. Sorry about that."

"It's fine," The Doctor said. "Not your fault."

When Evy looked back up, he was peering intently at the cut on her forehead, now clean and clearly visible. "Hmmm. Doesn't look like you'll need stitches- you should be alright for now; the bleeding's stopped. I can fix it completely soon as we get back to the TARDIS."

Evy nodded, getting up and using the discarded napkin to rub the dried blood off her hand. "Thanks." She said shyly. The Doctor smiled warmly at her.

"Don't mention it."

Medical services came and took the body of the professor, carrying it out in a body bag on a gurney, Martha, the Doctor, and Evy watching from the steps outside the labs. The other bodies had been taken out first until only Lazarus had remained, covered by a sheet in the reception hall.

Solemnly, they walked down the steps, the Doctor undoing his bowtie as they watched them load Lazarus into the van.

"She's here!" someone called. They looked up to see Tish running over to Martha and hugging her. "Oh, she's alright."

"Ah, Mrs. Jones, we still haven't finished out chat," the Doctor smiled as Martha's mother stormed over to him. His smile didn't last long- as Francine marched up to him and slapped him in the face, dragging Martha behind her.

"Keep away from my daughter!" she demanded.

"Mum, what are you doing?" Martha asked in shock.

"All of the mothers, every time." The Doctor muttered, holding his hand to where Francine had slapped him. Evy giggled, quickly hiding it with a cough as the Doctor shot her an offended look.

_I wonder if Mum will hold to that rule? _She thought, and then quickly stifled another giggle at the mental image of the scene before her, only with Rose substituted for Martha's mother and herself substituted for Martha.

"He is dangerous!" Mrs. Jones shouted at her daughter, clutching at Martha's arms as she tried to convince her. "I've been told things."

"What are you talking about?" Martha yelled back, frowning at her mother's attempt to pull her away.

"Look around you! Nothing but death and destruction!" Francine implored Martha. Evy bit her lip. Francine's accusation was true- not in the way she meant it, but nonetheless, true. For the first time, Evy found a smidge of guilt and indecision in her heart, in the place the Doctor had so quickly, she realized, carved out for himself. Then she shook her head at her foolishness, to believe in the angry and frightened accusations of a bitter, clinging mother.

"This isn't his fault," Martha defended passionately, shaking off her mother's arms. "He saved us, all of us!"

"It was Tish who invited everyone to this thing in the first place," Leo added. "I'd say, technically, it's her fault."

Evy smiled at him as Tish elbowed him in the side. _I knew I liked him. _

Just then, there was a crash down the street, cutting off Mrs. Jones's reply to her dissenting children. "Time to go," Evy said, as she and The Doctor took off running down the street. Martha tried to follow but her mother grabbed her. Evy saw and skidded to a stop, waiting for her, eyes watching.

"Leave them!" Mrs. Jones told her daughter. But Martha just shook her head and pulled away, running after them. Evy gave her a sympathetic glance as they ran to catch up.

"Martha?" Tish called after her sister, before turning to follow.

%

They were standing at the ambulance, stopped outside a church when Tish ran up to them. The doors were open and they could see the medics- both dried up husks like all of Lazarus's other victims.

"Lazarus, back from the dead," the Doctor sighed, shaking his head as he saw. "Should've known, really," he took out the sonic and began searching for the fluctuating DNA once more. It didn't take long.

"Where's he gone?" Martha looked around, following the direction the sonic pointed.

"That way," the Doctor said, getting a definitive direction,. "The church."

"Cathedral," Tish corrected. They all looked at her, surprised. She shrugged. "It's Southwark Cathedral. He told me."

They walked inside, moving slowly up the aisle, the Doctor with the beeping sonic held out in front of him. The nave was shadowed, the only light at the far end and filtering in through the skylights. The aisle was surprisingly well lit- but the shadows hanging amongst the sides could easily conceal anything.

"Do you think he's in here?" Martha asked quietly as they paused near the door, the Doctor carefully checking to make sure it was safe.

"Where would you go if you were looking for sanctuary?" He countered, leading the way toward the altar in a curiously staggered procession- Martha, then Evy, then Tish.

As they drew nearer to the front of the cathedral, they saw someone huddled under a red blanket, crouched on the stone floor behind the altar, shaking and face contorting as he gasped in air. Lazarus.

"I came here before," he said, seeing them standing there out of the corner of his eye. "A lifetime ago."

The Doctor said nothing as he watched the man, moving to circle him as Martha, Tish, and Evy stood off to the side, next to the altar, in varying proximity.

"I thought I was going to die then." Lazarus continued, remembering. "In fact, I was _sure_ of it. I sat there, just a child…the sound of planes and bombs outside."

"The Blitz," The Doctor identified, a trace of sympathy in his eyes as he guessed what Lazarus was talking about. Lazarus glanced up at him, dismissively, before casting his gaze back to the floor.

"You've read about it," He shrugged.

The Doctor shook his head, walking to stand before him, "I was there."

"You're too young," he scoffed.

"So are you," the Doctor shrugged.

Lazarus began to laugh, but the sound quickly turned into gasps of pain and wet popping cracks. The group could see he was fighting the mutation this time. "In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again," The Doctor walked around him as he talked, glancing up at the bell tower. Martha and Evy saw- and mirrored him, wondering why. "So defenseless," he continued, "I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it."

"That's what you were trying to do today," the Doctor realized, turning his attention back to the man.

"That's what I _did_ today," Lazarus snapped in correction.

"What about the other people who died?" The Doctor demanded.

"They were nothing," Lazarus spat. "I changed the course of history."

"Any of them might have done too, you think history's only made with equations?" The Doctor snapped angrily, continuing to walk around the man until he came to a stop a few feet away from Martha and Evy, standing together. "Facing death is part of being human. You can't change that."

"No, Doctor," Lazarus glared, once again correcting the Doctor, who continued to glance upward while keeping one eye on the other man. "_Avoiding_ death. That's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fiber of being. I'm doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more…successful," he smirked before shrieking in pain, his body trying to change.

"Look at yourself!" The Doctor commanded, standing before him. "You're mutating! You have _no_ control over it! You call _that_ a _success_?"

"I call it progress!" Lazarus awnsered, a faint sheen of sweat now visible on his face as he fought his body, groaning again in pain as there were several more wet cracking noises, sending him to the floor. "I'm more now than I was. More than just an ordinary human."

"There's no such thing as an ordinary human," the Doctor said passionately, as Lazarus contorted and fell over with several more screams of pain, rolling over backwards.

"He's gonna change again at any minute," Martha whispered, coming up to the Doctor, Evy alongside her.

"I know," the Doctor whispered back. "If I can get him up into the bell tower somehow, I've an idea that might work."

"Up there?" Evy looked up, indicating with her eyes- an idea beginning to form in her head. She didn't particularly like that idea, but- the Doctor nodded. Both Martha and Evy continued to gaze upward as the Doctor once again moved over to Lazarus.

"You're so sentimental, Doctor," Lazarus continued, watching the Doctor with hatred. "Maybe you are older than you look."

"I'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one," he informed the man. "In the end, you just get tired. Tired of the struggle. Tired of losing everyone that matters to you. Tired of watching everything turn to dust." He squatted beside Lazarus, his back to Evy, who was wearing a half-stricken, half-sympathetic look, and felt like she wanted to cry.

Not just for sorrow- for the raging conflict between her secrets and what he should have known a long time ago, what she wished now she had told him first off, before it had escalated into a life-or-death secret. Oh, she knew what he was talking about- she knew because her mother knew, through bitter experience of her own.

"If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you end up alone." The Doctor finished. Evy felt a cold finger of fear touch her heart. Was that to be her fate, too? To end up like both her parents, immortal and alone, separated from the one they loved?

"That's a price worth paying." Lazarus rasped. Evy couldn't imagine his reasoning- everyday she felt loneliness reach for her, and knew she could not bear up under its load. Everyday, except with the Doctor- and Martha, she realized.

"Is it?" The Doctor countered. Lazarus stared at him, before once again contorting, slumping forward as the urge to change racked through him. He turned to the Doctor as it subsided.

"I will feed, soon," Lazarus told him, feeling the change taking over.

"I'm not gonna let that happen," the Doctor warned him.

"You've not been able to stop me so far," Lazarus smirked. At that minute, Evy made her decision. Her idea was probably idiotic, but hey, it worked for the Doctor. The Doctor certainly wasn't getting Lazarus any closer to the bell tower, and the man was slipping toward changing ever quicker as the minutes ticked by. Carefully, and not at all sure about what she was doing, Evy stepped forward.

"Leave him, Lazarus!" She called, the man whipping around to face her. "He's old and… tough. Besides," Evy said, placing one hand on her hip in a flirtatious pose and arranging her face into a come-hither look, "I thought you were _impressed_ with me."

"Evy, no!" The Doctor and Martha shouted together, as Lazarus stood up. Evy stood for a moment, frozen like a deer in headlights as she looked at what she had done in macabre amazement. Lazarus paused for a moment, grinning hideously.

"Okay, bad idea." Evy said, eyes wide with fright- then turned and ran, pelting for the bell tower with all her strength. Lazarus tried to lunge after her, just as another spasm hit- buying Evy a bit of time and allowing Martha, then Tish, to join her.

"Yes," Martha yelled to her as they ran for the door to the stairs, Lazarus chasing after them. "Very bad idea!"

"I sort of got that!" Evy yelled back as they reached the doors, heaving the heavy wood open. "Doctor! The tower!" she yelled as the three of them began racing up the stairs.

The stairs wound around and around in a spiral, making a tube that seemed perfect for channeling the noises of their pursuer. Behind them, they could hear Lazarus's pants and groans as he ran.

Suddenly, there was a scream of pain, followed by another, which gradually morphed into a growl. Frozen, they paused, arrested by the sound.

"Lazarus!" Evy exclaimed. "He must have changed again!"

Instantly, Martha grabbed both Evy and Tish's hands, pulling them into action. "Keep moving!" She shouted. "We've got to lead him up!"

Once again, they raced up the stairs, at last reaching the second level of the nave.

"Martha! Evy!" They heard the Doctor shout. Martha and Evy both paused, slipping into the openings in the stonework.

"Doctor!" Martha called down to him.

"Take him to the top, the very top, you hear me?" He shouted up at them.

"Loud and clear," Evy replied, shouting back down. Then she glanced back at Tish's tug on her elbow. Seeing Lazarus advancing along the passageway towards them, Evy's eyes widened. "Gotta run!" she yelled, and grabbed Martha as they once again fled down the passage, this time mere feet ahead of their pursuer.

When they reached the bell tower, they quickly realized there was nowhere left to run. Clambering onto the wooden scaffolding, they hastily made their way to the far side away from the door.

"There's nowhere else to go- we're trapped!" Tish exclaimed, glancing back at the door through which any minute the mutant would burst through.

"This is where he said to bring him!" Martha said deasperatly, frantically searching both physically and mentally for the Doctor's way out.

"All right, so then we're not trapped." Tish said. "We're bait."

Evy rolled her eyes. "We practically volunteered to be bait!" She yelled back as a counter to Tish's indignant label of 'bait'.

"He knows what he's doing." Martha agreed breathlessly. "We have to trust him."

"Ladies," Lazarus oozed, creeping onto the wooden scaffolding opposite them. Martha pulled Evy and Tish behind her, and it was a measure of Evy's terror that she didn't resist.

"Martha," Evy said, "If we survive this, please, never say I told you so."

Martha didn't reply to that. "Stay behind me!" She told them desperately, trying to remain calm for Tish and the young girl she was shielding. "If he takes me, make a run for it, both of you. Head down the stairs. You should have enough time."

"But-"

"Martha-"

"Just do it!" Martha screamed over their protests, as Lazarus tried to climb over the gap in the scaffolding, under the bell, rather than walk around. He lashed his tail at them, eliciting shrieks from all three as they ducked.

Lazarus swung again, this time succeeding in separating their huddle. Tish and Martha went one way- Evy went the other. Lazarus immediately zeroed in on the sixteen year old.

He swung a third time as Evy clung to the wall railing, succeeding in swiping away the scaffolding rail between him, the gap, and her. She clung desperately to the rail to avoid falling- as Lazarus swung yet again, this time connecting and sending her flying out into space.

Evy screamed in terror, managing to catch hold of the edge of one of the boards below the destroyed railing, stopping herself from falling to the floor of the tower.

"Evy!" Martha screamed, trying to dodge the lashing tail to get to Evy's side as the girl desperately tried to pull herself up, nails digging into the wood she clung to. "Hold on!"

Below, the sound of the organ floated up to them, presumably the Doctor playing.

"Get away from her!" Tish added, seeing her sister's efforts to save the flailing girl and trying to help them.

Evy shrieked in terror, trying vainly to pull herself up. She knew what would happen if she lost her grip. Regenerating, if she even _could_, would likely not be the best way to break the news of her heritage. Or very fun to explain to her mum. And, oh yeah, dying wouldn't be all that fun either.

The organ notes began to reverberate, becoming visible in the tower. Tish and Martha covered their ears in pain as the mutant roared and Evy gritted her teeth, both in pain and in desperate attempt to slow her slipping fingers.

The mutant roared, rearing back in pain- and toppled to the floor of the cathedral with a crash. The organ immediately cut off- just as Evy's fingers lost their grip entirely. Evy shrieked, for one heart stopping moment feeling the horrifying sensation of free fall- before two hands shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"Hold on," Martha said, clinging to Evy's wrist along with her sister. "We've got you!"

"Evy?!" The Doctor yelled up from the organ loft, voice echoing through the cathedral "Martha?!"

For a moment, there was no response as Tish and Martha hauled Evy up from the ledge and back onto the safety of the platform. Once there, for a few heartbeats, they just clung together, shaking- Evy to Martha, huddling to the older woman's side, Martha's right arm draped around her, and the sisters to each other.

"We're okay!" Martha managed to shout back as Evy clung to her, grateful for her friend's solidity after the horrifying nothingness of near free fall. "We're all okay!"

"Thanks," Evy managed to get out, as they all wheezed with hysterical, breathless giggles at their close escape.

"It's your Doctor you should be thanking," Tish burbled, choking down hysterical, breathy laughs.

"I told you he'd think of something." Martha said proudly, the same laughter in her voice as Tish's as she drew the still shaking Evy in closer.

"He cut it a bit fine there, didn't he?" Tish wheezed, laughing still.

"He always does." Evy said, hysterics barely suppressed, but finally able to talk as she straightened slightly. "It's more fun that way."

Tish turned to Martha, sobering, with questions in her eyes. "Who _is_ he?"

Martha turned to her sister, then gazed back at the opening Evy had nearly fallen from, searching for the words. "He's- he's the Doctor."

#

Slowly, they made their way down to the main floor- and when Evy and Martha saw the Doctor, they both ran over to him, Evy in the lead, flinging herself into his hug. She didn't know why- she'd never done that before. But- it just felt right, somehow, and she felt a great deal of comfort from it after what had just happened.

The Doctor carefully set her down before turning to Martha and embracing her just as enthusiastically.

"I didn't know you could play!" Martha exclaimed. The Doctor grinned.  
"Oh, well, you know, if you hang around with Beethoven, you're bound to pick a few things up."  
"Especially about playing loud." Martha jibed. Evy laughed, the high of it being over just starting to kick in.

"Sorry?" The Doctor said seriously, miming being deaf. Both Evy and Martha laughed at that one.

#

Eventually, they made their way back to Max's apartment, where the TARDIS was still parked. When they knocked on her door, Max took one look at who it was and hustled them all in- before asking, with a look Evy recognized as true, earth shattering trouble, to have a private conversation with her in the bedroom.

Evy glanced back at the Doctor, who motioned for her to go on. Evy clearly saw that he and Martha wanted to talk about something, as well.

Silently, with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Evy followed Max into the bedroom. When she got there, shutting the door with utmost care to put off the horrible thing she knew was coming, the sight that greeted her shook her to her core.

Max was crying. Not just tears, crying- her mascara was running down her cheeks, leaving thick black lines in it's wake.

"What-?" Evy began, reaching out to her friend- but Max gestured almost angrily with her hand for her to stop.

"Evy," Max gasped out. "I'm sorry, really, proper sorry it has to be me that tells you this, but I can't let you go off again without knowing. I thought about it all night while you were out-and- forgive me, but- your mum's missing. Rose disappeared last night."


	25. Good-bye

**Sorry! Sorry! A thousand apologies, loyal readers- school's being a bitch. First, three reasearch papers drain my inspiration and writing ability, THEN it's midterms. Sigh. AP Biology is a killer. Still, here we go. Thank you to all who continued to ask for an update and kept believing in one by the end of the month!**

Evy felt as though someone had punched her in the gut- or that ice water had replaced the blood in her veins, flooding her with chill. Surely, surely she had heard wrong.

"What?" she asked, shock flooding through her. It simply couldn't be possible- couldn't be happening.

Max wiped impatiently at the mascara streaks. "This morning, Rose didn't show up for work. They called her apartment and got no awnser. You know your mum- she'd never do that. But-"

Evy blinked, trying to comprehend. "They think I'm missing, too?"

"Well, what were we all supposed to think?!" Max snapped, before steadying herself with a shaky breath. "They sent a team over, and you were gone, too. The only thing they found of any intrest was a reading- the scanners all read like there had been a wormhole there."

Evy shook her head, understanding Max's words perfectly but uncomprehending how this could have happened- or why. How could her mother leave? "I don't understand! How- how do you know this? Last time I checked, you-"

Max put on a wry smile over her tears. "They came over here- asked me if I'd seen you. I just gave them your message and said not since the club. After all, silence can't hurt you when you don't know what to say."

Even through her incoherent shock, that struck a chord with Evy. _Silence can't hurt you when you don't know what to say. _That there seemed exactly to express her reticience. It wasn't exactly that she was afraid of the consequences- she was scared of getting hurt. And keeping quiet, to maintain the state of things where nothing was perfect but not torture either, was better than facing the unknown.

But this- now she was facing a greater unknown. Evy felt her conciousness sink down into the depths of her mind; deep enough to be in danger of triggering a memory-fit, as if to shelter itself from the unescapable fact. She was alone- even more alone that that night such a relatively short time ago; poised on the edge of a precipice over which she couldn't see. But, here in this strange place, the facts came together and she suddenly _knew. _Rose was gone... she had used the wormhole...and her daughter had nowhere to go, nowhere to turn... lost in a lonely darkness of hidden truth and shades of lies...

"Evy? Evy!" Max grabbed at her freind as Evy's knees buckled, saving her from falling. The shouting drew her up and out of the darkness of reality, back into the world. Evy blinked, her thoughts settling back into their proper place- as she realized Max was shaking her, a terrified look on her face.

"Wha-"

"You looked like you were going to pass out or something there," Max said, stopping her gentle shaking but keeping hold of Evy's shoulders, frantic grey-green eyes searching crystal blue.

"I'll be alright." Evy said distantly, agilely slipping out of Max's hold. Max frowned. Now, that couldn't be a healthy response. Evy wobbled slightly as she made her way over to the bed, before she flopped loosely down on it and rolled over onto her side, facing away from Max.

She squeezed her eyes shut, curling into herself as though to minimize any further shock. Several soft, hot tears leaked down her cheeks.

_What do I do? What am I supposed to do? _She pleaded in her head, begging for awnsers, for direction. _Why does everyone leave me alone?_

Then- _Is this my fault?_ _Did I make her leave? _Guilt and self-incrimination washed over her as she bit her lip to keep from sobbing her anguish.

Gently, Max sat on the edge of the bed. "Evy-" she said softly, reaching out a hand to rest it lightly on Evy's shoulder.

Just then, Martha burst in, full of exuberence. "Evy! The Doctor wants to ask you-" Martha stopped dead, taking in the scene before her.

"Oh my god- what's wrong?!" She demanded, concern suffusing her voice and posture as she took an involentary step forward.

Max glanced up from her crying freind to gaze levely at Martha. Giving Evy's shoulder a comforting squeeze, she slid off her perch on the bed.

Evy felt her get up- and she heard, over the soft sound of her almost silent tears, Max explain the circumstances. Her mother's dissappearance. Silently, she listened to the two womens' hushed conversation.

"Her mother- she's missing." Max said softly to Martha.

Martha's eyes widened in realization- and involentarily her eyes flicked to Evy's form and back to Max. "God- I didn't realize-"

"That's alright," Max said, continuing to speak quietly.

"He wanted to ask Evy to come traveling with us. Full time, I mean." Martha said hurriedly. "He asked me too- but now-"

Max looked skeptical. "You have a time machine, right? Why don't you travel forward a bit and ask her then, when things are settled? She can stay with me for however long-"

Martha nodded. "I-" She was about to agree, when she was interupted.

"No." Both women turned to see Evy standing before them, face tear streaked but radiating determination. "No! I won't wait. I can't. It doesn't work like that- he doesn't work like that."

"Evy-" Max said with a tone of warning. Evy shook her head imperiously. "No, Max. If he asks, I'm going. I can't- I just can't stay here any longer. Not like this." Evy gazed back at both Martha and Max, her eyes holding an iron will that belied her slight trembling.

Max gazed back- and evidently found something she agreed with. "Good, then." She said simply, moving away from the door in a clear gesture of aquesience.

Evy took a steadying breath, and regained control of herself; straightening to her full height and wiping away the last of her tears before walking out to him.

* * *

The Doctor was leaning against the TARDIS, a look of bored indifference on his face. She paused in the hallway for a moment, studying.

Evy bit her bottom lip meditatively. Should she tell him? It was his right to know- especially with Rose... Ah, but no. She honestly was too much of a coward. Really, she couldn't face it. Not yet.

Squaring her shoulders and attempting to look capable, Evy walked out into full view of the living area.

"Martha said you wanted to ask me something?" She asked, proud that her voice remained level.

"What? Oh! Yes!" He coughed, catching sight of her. "Well, Martha asked to come on full time and I said yes- and I was wondering if you'd like that as well." He finished, with perhaps a hint of uncertainty in the end of the sentance. "Not that you have to, of course-"

"Yes." Evy said abruptly. "Yes, I want to." She attempted a weak smile. "Just give me a minute or two to pack a bag."

"Yeah, sure-" The Doctor suddenly noticed the slight tear stains on her cheeks, just beginning to show. "What's happened? What's wrong?"

Evy looked at him for a moment guardedly. "It's nothing. You can't fix it, so please don't ask."

He recoiled slightly at the sudden, eerily polite rejection. "Oh. Alright."

Evy exhaled a breath she hadn't known she was holding. "Thanks."

The time getting from Max's apartment and saying goodbye to her freind to getting on board the TARDIS sort of blurred in Evy's mind; the vaguest impressions of events implanting themselves in her memory.

But she woke up when the Doctor asked her address, so she could go pack the bag she'd requested. And she had polietly declined his solitious offer of help. The Doctor, in her apartment, with all she couldn't tell him laid out to see? No. Way. In. Hell.

"Nah, thanks. Ten minutes." Evy said, a slight laugh in her voice. "That's all I need. I can manage alone. It's not _that_ much!"

"Are you sure you don't want help-" Martha offered, before-

"No!" Evy almost shouted, drawing several surprised looks from both the Doctor and Martha. "No, it'll take longer that way. I'll be back in a tic."

And before Martha or the Doctor could lift a finger, she was out the door. For a moment, she paused to thank whatever lucky star was hers.

_That was close._

"Well," The Doctor said musingly, watching after her before turning back to the console. Martha was doing the same, eyes narrowed in thought. "You said it. That was- weird."

* * *

Evy dashed up the stairs, grateful that the halls were mostly empty, before reaching her flat and nearly falling into the room in haste.

Closing the door behind her, she hurried down the hall to her room. Pulling a duffel bag out from under the bed, she began quickly piling her clothes into it. There weren't that many since she wasn't the fashionista some of her mates were; it all fit comfortably.

Surprised, Evy glanced around the room that had been her sanctuary for such a while. Odd, now, how it seemed so small- so distant and faded, as though it was nothing more than an echo of a long ago time.

Sadly, she scrubbed at her eyes. She was going to miss this- not UNIT, but all of the good things Earth had meant. Max and walking in Kensington Park, Rax and the happy times they'd had while Rose told her stories far too late into the night as they sat with mugs of tea, before she fell asleep in her mother's room.

Max had promised she'd look after everything- 'until you come back'. In fact, she'd taken the initative and already taken in Rax, who was wary but freindly to her.

Evy wasn't really worried, about her cat or things- just how much would be different when she did return. If she came back- because it was in the nature of things to change; and they waited for nothing and no one.

Ah, well. Reminding herself firmly that this was what she had wanted, Evy leaned to zip the duffel closed- before remembering something.

Wondering if it was worth the chance, Evy dug both her black sketchbook and an old, barely filled photo album out from their hidding place. She pursed her lips, quickly considering. It was an awful risk- but then, she couldn't bear to leave these behind. Not after leaving so much else behind.

Placing both items carefully ontop of the clothes, Evy zipped the bag shut and hefted it onto her shoulder. With one last, sad look, she flipped off the light and shut the door behind her.

With solemn, deliberate steps, Evy walked down the hall to the door, and, more eventually, the Doctor. Her Father.

She walked with careful precision past the bedroom that held faint, fading memories of her mother, past the rooms that no longer were her home. They weren't- they had been, but were no longer.

Evy walked with a mask on her face, controlling her steps with such exactness so she wouldn't fall apart. Because, without this home that had been at best, half of one, she had no where.

_Alone, alone, alone..._

Evy gritted her teeth and forced away the impending deppression. _Shut up. _

She was so focused on her goal as she entered the sitting area, that she almost didn't notice the broken frame that glanced off of her shoe.

_Wait, what?_

Kneeling down, Evy picked it up- feeling a sensation unlike anything she'd experienced before. The feeling was like a gentle, warm lightning on her skin- if such a contradiction could exist. As though an electric current had taken on the consistency of warm honey and flowed over her skin.

Dismissing the sensation, Evy turned the frame over- to find the picture missing. In a flash, she realized what had happened._They said there were readings of a wormhole there- She dissappeared last night-_

"Oh!" Evy nearly dropped the frame and shattered the poor glass further. "She took the wormhole!" Then, realizing she what she still held, she gently, replaced it in the collection of photos. There it stood out oddly, like the gap of a missing tooth.

Evy smiled sadly, giving the missing picture's destroyed frame sad, loving look. "You took us with you, mum. You couldn't take me, but you did your best." Brushing back tears, she turning back to the door.

_Can't keep him waiting forever. _

Hand on the knob, ready to depart, Evy glanced back at the spot where the strange sensation was strongest.

"I love you, Mum. I'm coming."

And then, she closed the door and ran, leaving the heartfelt words to hang in the still air.


	26. Tears

**Alright, this arc'll be continued next chapter and concluded before 42, I just felt that you guys deserved an update. Especially after so long. Enjoy- I'll try to have part 2 done by Saturday. Also, I wrote a new oneshot about Max. Go to my profile and check it out!****  
**

* * *

Evy made an odd picture as she boarded the TARDIS, with her scuffed duffel bag slung over her formal dress- and she recieved several odd glances from passerby. Evy waved cheerfully with her free hand, smiling at their confusion.

Reaching the TARDIS doors, Evy took a breath and forced a sincere seeming, happy expression onto her face before walking in, duffel slung notchalantly over shoulder.

"Ready?" She asked lightly, dropping the duffel at her feet.

"Actually, yes," Martha said, walking over to her. "I got my stuff together while you were."

Evy grinned, a grin that didn't quite touch her sorrowful and preocupied eyes. "Advantages of a time machine."

"Quite." The Doctor broke in, pulling a lever down as the TARDIS began to dematierialize. "Speaking of which," He said, shoving both hands into his suit pockets, "What do you two want to do now?"

Evy arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Whaddya mean?"

"Well, I thought, since you two are carring obsence amounts of lugguge-"

"Hey! Since when are a couple of duffel bags obscene?"

"-That you both might want to get rooms first. And then I had this beach on Pontilus in mind. There's purple sand and I can land before anyone discovered it-"

"That sounds amazing," Martha said. "What do you think?" She turned to Evy.

Evy shrugged in agreement, stooping to pick up her duffel.

"Beach it is then!" The Doctor said cheerfully. "Now you two go find some rooms you like."

"You sure we're not going to get lost?" Martha asked, half serious, half teasing. The Doctor gave her a look of disbelief.

"Of course not! Anytime you're going somewhere you shouldn't, the TARDIS'll just bring you back here."

"Well, you never know-" Martha defended, picking up her own bag, before she and Evy both set briskly off into the depths of the ship, eager for the beach.

The Doctor watched for a moment, eyes following, first Martha, then Evy. The younger girl- there was something he had to discuss with her, especially now that she was his Companion. Officially. The Time Sense she had seemed to show, with the Daleks- that was important.

Time Lords weren't the only species in the universe with inherent ability to read the time lines- but for every species, the developmental phase of them was crucial. And if his latest companion was only half whatever- well, he had every obligation to ferret out the truth and offer his help. Well, that and he was curious.

_Very_ curious.

* * *

Evy emerged from the TARDIS wearing a t-shirt and jeans over her two-piece, only to stop dead in awe of the sight before her.

"Wow." She breathed, drinking in the beauty before her.

The TARDIS was parked in a slightly sheltered little cove- before which stretched an endless expanse of lavender sand, miles in both directions as it stretched to meet the crystal clear water. Low sandy colored cliffs completed the picture.

"Wow," She said again, spotting their little campsite as Martha came up to her, her own red suit already wet from swimming.

"I know, right?!" The other woman said, grinning with exitement. "Who knew trouble magnet could actually land someplace like this?"

Evy laughed, not just at Martha's remark, but at the sudden freedom and enlightenment she felt. _Now_ she understood.

"Come on," Martha urged, grabbing Evy's hand and dragging her to the patchwork of towels laid out on the sand. "The water's actually _warm_. Something to do with the sun or something, but it feels _amazing_."

"I'm coming," Evy said as she followed, marvelling at how soft the sand felt on her bare feet, and how cool it was on her skin.

As soon as they reached the towels, Martha let go of Evy's hand and walked back out to the water, disappearing into the surf only to reappear moments later. She waved, indicating for Evy to join her.

Evy nodded, and quickly began pulling off clothing to reveal the swimsuit she'd thankfully thought to bring. Carefully, so not to get sand in them, she folded and placed them on one of the towels.

Glancing up, the Doctor was no where in sight. Shrugging, Evy decided that he'd show up sooner or later, and ran into the water, whooping with delight like a child.

With a yelp, Evy let one of the waves crash over her, marveling that the water was, in fact, warm. Thuroghly soaked, she popped up to the surface, sucking in air. An enormous grin split her face, and she laughed with joy.

Right now, the leaving and everything else that had taken her to this point- it all seemed worth it. Completely worth it. And for what felt like the first time in her life- certainly the first time she could remember since leaving Pete's World, she was, if not completely happy, quite close to it.

Feeling the sandy bottom with the tips of her toes, Evy spotted Martha a few feet away. Feeling mischeivous- happy enough to be mischevious!- a small, puckish grin replaced her wide smile.

"Hey, Martha?" Evy called, trying to get her to turn around, the mischevious glint still in her eyes. Obligingly, Martha did turn around.

"Yeah?"

"Duck." Evy said, and sent an enormous wave toward Martha, splashing over her, before laughing and ducking below the surface.

Martha stood stunned for a moment, before recovering and realizing Evy's game.

"Ohh, you're gonna get it now!" Martha said, before sending her own wave toward Evy's head, peeking out above the water. Evy laughed and returned the favor.

After several pitched splashing battles, both Evy and Martha had resorted to swimming lazily in what felt like a giant bathtub as they recuperated from their exhertions.

They floated gently, both simply enjoying the warmth and surprising lack of monsters. Evy closed her eyes blissfully, hands clasped on her stomach as she floated on her back, reveling in the sensation of almost weightlessness.

"If you stay like that any longer, you're gonna fall asleep and drown," Martha teased her.

"Mmmph." Evy said, not opening her eyes, but with a slight smile. Rose had often teased her on the same point. "I'll die happy, then."

Then, suddenly, with the thought of Rose, Evy felt a surge of grief come over her. She wanted her mum here- she wanted her _now_. As amazing as her dad was, as freindly as Martha was, neither of them were any substitute.

Taking a deep breath and submerging as her toes searched for the sandy bottom, Evy found it and pushed off, surfacing with a salty sting in her eyes that had nothing to do with the seawater.

Martha noticed, despite how Evy tried to use her hair to hide it. "Evy? What's wrong?"

Evy forced a painful smile. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Martha looked at her doubtfully. "Sure, you are. Evy, what-"

Evy bristled, not appricating Martha's well-intentioned urge to help. "I don't want to talk about it. Leave me alone."

And with that, she ducked under the water and swam for shore, leaving Martha confused and staring after her, torn between going after her with comfort and letting her alone.

Fighting back the flood of greif with a bulwark of irritation, Evy walked out of the surf and over to the towels, jaw clenched to keep herself in check. Ignoring the rather nasty feeling of her wet suit, she shoved her jeans on over her suit, picking up her t-shirt with one hand.

"Wait- where are you going?" She heard _his_ voice say from behind her, as she tossed the shirt over her head, ignoring the wet splotches the bikini top made.

"Off." She said shortly, pulling the cloth roughly down over her head and shoving her hands through the arms. "Please don't follow me."

She turned, trying to shove past him, but the Doctor wouldn't let her. His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. "Evy, really. What-"

Evy glared at him, eyes simultaneously pleading for him to let her go.

"You've been crying," He said, sounding both suspicious and surprised. Evy decided that enough was enough- and if she stayed here any longer, she was going to loose it.

Twisting her wrist out of his grip, Evy shot them both an apologetic look before dashing off over the cool sand.

* * *

She sobbed as she ran, tears running down her face and blinding her. Each sob tore itself from her throat, raw gasps that left her nearly breathless. Still, she pushed on against exhaustion, as she had learned to do from her time on the track team.

Finally, though, she could run no more. Left foot catching on a half-hidden rock, she stumbled and staggered to a halt, dropping to her knees on the sand, the metallic taste of exhaustion in her mouth as she heaved for breath.

The tears and sobs temporarily stopped by her lack of breath, she gazed dully around her, the dried strands of her hair whipping in the wind. Somehow, she had ended up on a cliff edge that overhung a stretch of sea lapping at the rock below her. Plainly, she was lost.

_Note to self; keep track of where you're going. _Evy thought, mouth twisting in a wry expression. She could just picture her mother saying that, in that teasing, half serious, half sarcastic way of hers-

_Mum- oh, Mum-_ Evy's thoughts cried plaintatively. _Please- _

_"Please-" _She begged, to the sand, sea, and wind, all of her soul-ache poured into the plea, almost like a deasperate prayer to some long-forgotten goddess.

_But how often are prayers awnsered? _Suddenly, though, as though the very thought had triggered it, there was the feeling that something was listening. That the air was listening. The back of Evy's neck prickled. There was a strange sensation on her skin- as though a mild electric current flowed along it. But there was also the odd feeling of recognition- as though part of her body was recognizing some other, seperate part-

"Evy? Are you up here?" The Doctor's voice, soft in tone as it was, broke the spell. The inexplicable _presence_ vanished, slowly taking the sensations of current and recognition with it.

Evy didn't reply immediately, preoccupied with the strange, but not unpleasant feeling that was now ebbing away. It dissappeared completely just as the Doctor came into sight. Alone.

"Yes," She said finally, gaze fixed firmly in the distance as she felt a slight blush tinge her cheeks. For all the greif she still felt for Rose, she could now remember clearly, with chagrin and embarassment, the way she had run.

_Running, always running-_

She saw, out of the corner of her eye, him plop down beside her. "What was that, then?" He asked, gently pushing for an awnser with unjudgemental sympathy.

The tone was so familiar to her, so present in times of stress, that Evy's eyes jerked to her side. That was the tone her mother had used, so many times-

_"What's this then, sweetie?" Her mother's encouraging voice, her eyes full of reassurance and sorrow as she drew a weeping little black-haired girl out of the hedge bushes and into her arms. _

It was the exact same voice; no doubt then, where Rose had learned it. The memory it called up sent fresh, slow tears down her cheeks. Thank god, she didn't competely break down in front of _him_, but really, she couldn't hold her composure any longer.

"Hey," The Doctor said, seeing the new tears. "What's wrong?"

Oh, god help her, she couldn't lie this time. Not now.

"My mother." Evy whispered, wiping at her eyes with her fingertips. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"Ah, no need to apologize. Tears are human. Hey- come here." Softly, he pulled her closer to him, draping one arm around her shoulders, gently leaning her head on his shoulder.

She looked up at him with those same surprised eyes that Rose had- but didn't resist; huddled slightly closer, in fact. Just as _she_ had. Oh, Rassilon, allowing someone this close- the last and only time he'd allowed himself to unbend like this before his companions was Rose. His Rose.

Concealing his own hurt and burying it behind an internal wall - it was almost easy, he'd had so much practice- he cradled the weeping girl on his shoulder. This girl felt so much like the woman she resembled; just younger, less outspoken, more self-contained. It was uncanny.

She was a puzzle- and he loved puzzles. But this one could wait- because, oddly, as much as it hurt to have Rose's double, Rose's seeming replacement, here on his shoulder, it felt so right, so good.

So, he held her there and let her weep as the pale gold sun continued it's arc over purple sand and blue sky.


	27. Forward

**Here you go. Sorry for the long absence, but once again, AP Bio and all of her contemperaries are right pains in the butt. However, since I'm on spring break, the rest of this bit and 42 should be finished this week. This chapter was intented to be longer, but I cut it off for two reasons. 1, you guys deserve an update and finishing it would take to long. 2, this is just to good a cliffie to waste! **

**Also, my one year writing aniversary is coming up- any ideas/suggestions what I should write/do to celebrate?**

**Luv ya all, and I'll See y'all tommorow!**

* * *

Eventually- almost too soon, the Doctor thought, then quickly banished that thought with a twinge of both pain and embarrassment- Evy sniffled her tears to a stop, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Better?" He asked, feeling strangely protective. Not that he wasn't protective with other companions- but this was, oddly, different. Maybe it was because she was _so_ young. Only Adric had been younger. That had been so long ago- the memories of his fifth life were fuzzy, at best.

He shrugged mentally, and supposed he must have felt something of the same thing.

"A little," Evy said, retreating slightly into herself- behind a transparent facade she seemed to have built against him- no, to keep _herself_ away from him. He wondered why- and he wondered why he hadn't noticed that before.

No matter why she had created it- most likely it was just her way of dealing with the UNIT legend she still saw- he wanted to get behind it and erase it.

"That's good." He paused, giving the smallish girl sitting beside him a few moments. "Evy-"

She stiffened instantly, as though bracing for something. He was rather taken aback for a moment, but continued.

"Evy, when we were with the Daleks- I noticed something. Time Lords- we're sensitive to Time energy, and there was a lot of it- all tied up with you."

Nearly as quickly as she had stiffened, Evy relaxed. Relaxed, but said nothing. Curious- but Evy seemed to rarely offer anything personal about herself.

"What happened?" He prompted.

Evy sighed. "It's always the same. Sometimes- sometimes I see things. About the people I-" A slight pink blush tinged her cheeks. "I care about, usually. But they can be about anything."

The Doctor blinked, dumbstruck. Seeing the future was an exceedingly rare psychic manifestation. And in rare, he meant nearly extinct. After the Time War- he swallowed- most of the Time-sensitive species had been wiped out, or as good as.

But- Evy had said she was only half-human-

"How long-"

"All my life. But they were just feelings, mainly. That's the first time I've seen something that clear."

He nodded, thinking. "If you lived on Earth most of your life, then the exposure to the energy of the Time Vortex and the TARDIS must have had a sort of jumpstarting effect on your ability."

Evy shrugged. "I suppose."

Then she sighed. "I'm sorry I ran off. It's just... my mum was the only family I have- had- left. Now she's gone. I just- couldn't deal with that, ya know?"

"Perfectly alright," He said, standing up and offering a hand to help her up. Evy smiled and took it. "It helps to have someone to listen." he offered, in explanation.

Evy nodded. "Yeah, it does. Max- she listens to me a lot." Evy brushed a windblown strand of hair out of her eyes. "You know- since mum is gone now, that kind of makes you and Martha-" she broke off, hesitant. "That kind of makes you both my family now."

The Doctor was taken aback. "Well-"

"Well, _I'm_ flattered." Martha said from behind them. Both the Doctor and Evy, surprised, turned to see her standing there with her clothes on over her swimsuit and a tender smile on her face. Evy answered with a tentative smile of her own.

"Oh, go on," Martha said in response, enveloping Evy in a warm hug. "Next time you feel like that, you can talk to me, if you want. I'll always listen."

"Thanks," Evy murmured, gazing distantly off toward the direction she had come over Martha's shoulder. Martha directed a look of confusion toward the Doctor, who shrugged, mouthing; _teenagers?_

Martha smiled knowingly, before releasing Evy from the embrace. "There. Feel better?"

Evy nodded with a small smile, before looking tentatively at the Doctor.

"Well, come on then," He said, enveloping her in another enthusiastic hug. She was smiling again when he released her- the grin he loved to see on her face back where he wanted it, not behind her normally solemn exterior.

"Thanks for that," She said. He nodded, smiling fondly down at her, half a head shorter than him.

"Hey, you remember what we talked about?" He asked, much to Martha's curiosity. Evy nodded in affirmation. "When- if- it happens again, come get me, okay?"

She grinned. "Sure, D- Doctor. You'll be the first to know." Evy paused, licking her dry lips.

And- I said it before, but, both of you, I'm sorry I ran off. And I mean what I said, about you two. It's too hard to be alone - and, well, we're all in space together, right?." She laughed, breaking the slight tension her statement had caused.

Martha reacted first. She laughed with her friend- as they both, by mutual unspoken agreement, set off across the beach land back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor watched them go for a moment, allowing himself wallow in the ache he felt for missing his Rose. Still- before turning his mind to other things, unable to bear his self-incrimination any longer without losing something completely. Oh, how right his newest companion was. And she didn't even know how right.

That girl- Evelyna Taylor. He set off behind her and Martha, thoughts turning over her as he walked.

She was like _her_ in so many ways he had to ask himself if that was why he had brought her along- but so different in appearance he knew that wasn't it. Not totally, at least.

Evy was an intriguing puzzle; someone with constantly emerging new facets and shades of meaning. Maybe that was why he had brought her, he thought amusedly. The child's shiny toy.

But there was something equally beyond both of those- and yet tied to them. Something he couldn't put his finger on- something that called him to her. And he wanted to find out.

* * *

Back on board the TARDIS, Evy was in the shower of her new ensuite, luxuriating in the seemingly never ending stream of steaming hot water. Apparently, traveling by TARDIS had other privledges besides the whole 'time and space' thing.

_Hmm... now which do I like more..._

Evy sighed as the heat flowed into her body, washing away the salt and sand from their beach trip.

_Sadly, the hot water seems to be winning._

"TARDIS," she murmured to the wall, not sure if she could be heard by the timeship but well aware that the ship was sentient, "I love you."

A low rumble echoed through the room- and Evy had the sense that it was one of indulgent happiness. More than a little surprised, Evy froze. She hadn't expected an actual _response_-

Slowly, with exaggerated care, she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel.

Taking a few deep breaths, Evy calmed her shock. _Okay. The TARDIS talks. Sort of. No biggie. _

And, then, the whole situation seemed irremeably funny. She was in the middle of the Time Vortex, keeping a hopelessly large secret, impossibly far away from home, developing enormously confusing abilities, and she was worried about the ship _responding to her chatter_?

The first laugh was half-hysterical, choking its way up from her throat almost unwillingly. Another followed- before long, she was laughing so hard tears leaked from her eyes as she muffled her hysterics in a pillow snatched from the bed.

At last, though, Evy burned herself out into small fits of giggles, and eventually panting for air. Still, though, the smile remained on her face.

_Oh- how good that felt. _It was nice to let herself be hysterical and uncontrolled. Truly, when was the last time she had let her emotions run wild?

Another giggle escaped her. _I think I was ten, and it was over who got the last cookie, me or Tony. _

She sighed- before the sigh turned into a yawn. Suddenly exhausted, Evy conceded to herself that it was more than time to go to bed. Sleep might be more of a habit, but it was a pervasive one. She liked it just as much as the next teenager, and got about as much- or, more accurately, as little.

Unsuccessfully trying to suppress another yawn, Evy roughly toweled the last of the water from her hair before putting on her pajamas.

_Come to the Dark Side; we have cookies, s_he thought tiredly, oddly glad that her favorite set hadn't been in the wash after all; equally glad her hands had picked it in her mad packing rush.

Silently, she slipped into bed, happy to close her eyes. The linens were wonderfully cool and inviting, pushing her further toward sleep. Evy, full of both physical and emotional exhaustion, was only to happy to oblige. With a scarce thought, she grabbed for rest with both hands.

* * *

both hands.

* * *

For a while, Evy's dreams were of the normal, nonsensical type. Passively, she floated along in a sea of images, most pleasant, some not. But it was restful- a rare enough thing, what with her Time Lord blood- and so she was content to drift through the scenery of her dreams.

It was within a particularly irrational but pleasant dream of flirting with an obscured boy she couldn't describe that it happened. A jolting feeling of dislocation was her only warning, before the bottom dropped out of everything.

Instantly, she was hurled into a swirling tunnel of absolute white with a nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach. It could have been hours or mere seconds, but suddenly, the white nothing was gone.

Holding one hand to her abdomen, Evy waited cautiously for the nausea to subside. When it did, she slowly rose from the kneeling position she found herself in, noticing her feet were bare as she did so. Raising her eyes to look around, Evy couldn't believe what she saw. Frozen with shock, her eyes wide in surprise, she took in an eerily familiar place.

_"The sky's a burnt orange...the mountains go on forever. The leaves on the trees were silver... slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow." _

It was Gallifrey.


	28. Gift

**Here it is- the continuation! Enjoy!**

Gallifrey. Evy's mouth dropped open with shock as she gaped at her surroundings. Beyond her stretched a sea of red grass as far as the eye could see, rolling gently away from her. In the distance, mountains made red by that same grass towered toward a sky of burning orange stretching endlessly above, horizon to horizon.

She turned, bewildered and entranced. Behind her, further up the gentle slope she found herself on, was a single, silver tree, but that was all. Everywhere she looked, there was the red grass, the orange sky- a completely alien beauty- and the disturbing lack of life. Aside from the plants, she amended mentally.

She was alone.

Perturbed, she glanced down at herself, irrationally wary that she might have changed with the scenery. She hadn't- but her clothes had. Instead of pajamas, she was now dressed in an airy white bit of nothing that, though silky against her skin, had far too little bodice and far too short a skirt for her liking.

_Curiouser and curioser. _

Evy was never alone in her dreams, only in nightmares. Furthermore, in dreams, she was never dressed like _this_. But it was impossible that this should be anything but a dream. Gallifrey was gone; burnt by the hand of her father in a terrible, imperative sacrifice.

At the same time, though, Evy knew it wasn't. It was too real, too vivid and sensory to be a dream. She could feel the lush red grass under her bare feet, hear a faint chime from the silver tree as a breeze blew by, and smell something wonderful she hadn't a name for.

_This isn't a dream… but it isn't real, either. So where am I?_

"It is a memory, child. An echo of what has been."

Evy whirled, her skirt spinning around her. Under the single tree's silver branches, there was now a figure- one she knew very well.

_Mum? _

Involuntarily, Evy walked a few steps closer. Pausing at the edge of the tree's shadow, Evy scrutinized the figure. It certainly looked like Rose- but Evy knew her mother better than any other living soul, except maybe one.

"You're not my mother," she said suspiciously.

The figure shook its head with a small smirk. "No, I am not."

"Who are you then?" Evy demanded. "What am I doing here?"

The figure sighed. "Sit with me. I'll explain everything."

Evy eyed her guardedly. She didn't trust this thing that wore her mother's shape. "I'll stand thanks. Now talk."

"So mistrusting." The figure said, in a tone Evy couldn't place. It might have been disappointed- or impartial. Its gaze turned toward her, and Evy caught the gaze- only to be held, spellbound.

Because this entity, though her mother in every other aspect, did not have Rose's eyes. These eyes were ageless and unreadable- with no pupil or iris, made only of swirling golden flame. They bored into Evy, who found herself unable to look away- and suddenly she knew who the entity was.

"_Aureus Domina Tempus," _Evy whispered.

"Yes." The goddess confirmed. "I am not to be trifled with, child." Her eyes bored into Evy, imposing the sincerity of her message. After about a minute, she allowed Evy's eyes to drop away.

"You have questions." The Goddess stated. Evy didn't deny it. "Ask, then. We have little time."

Evy stared at the goddess stupidly. Now that she knew who it was- she couldn't believe she'd thought it was Rose- or just Rose. The goddess seemed to shimmer gold, tendrils of light curling off of her.

"Ask," The Goddess reminded her, with a hint of impatience.

Evy coughed, embarrassed. Without thinking, she blurted out the first question that came to mind. "Where are we?"

The Goddess watched her. "Gallifrey. This is but a memory of it, but Gallifrey nonetheless. Not in your life, but real as it is now."

"So… we're in another layer of reality?" Evy said, struggling to understand.

The goddess looked at her critically. "You could say that."

"So why am I in different clothes than before? And why are you my mother? Or why do you look like her?"

"You are here in consciousness only." The Goddess replied calmly. "The form you and I took is your creation. Only the setting and the act of bringing you here was my doing."

"So you're saying_ I_ dressed myself up like a slut and made you my mother?" Evy yelled, beginning to get angry.

The goddess sat calmly, seemingly oblivious to Evy's rage, which only served to infuriate her all the more.

"Where is my mother?" She demanded. "Why can't you just let me alone? It's not like I have enough to deal with!"

"Your mother is safe."

"How am I supposed to know that? You took her! You're the Bad Wolf, aren't you? How can I trust you when I don't even know who you are- when the mother you took shunned your name?" Evy shrieked.

The Goddess made no move toward her tirade, other than to arch an eyebrow. Instantly, Evy felt embarrassed. "Sorry." She muttered, plopping back down to the grass.

The Goddess made no comment, either to accept or condemn, before she began to speak.

"Evelyna Tyler. The Valiant Child. You must listen well to this. Everything depends upon it."

Again, Evy felt the intensity of the Bad Wolf's gaze and trembled beneath it. "I'm listening."

The Goddess nodded. "You are unique in all of time, Evelyna. You are the last Time Lady- but you are part of me and part of the TARDIS."

"How?!" Evy exclaimed plaintativly, horribly confused.

The Goddess smiled. "This begins with a story. When your mother set off to rescue her love, she was deasperate. She opened the heart of the TARDIS- and she released all of the energy of the Time Vortex. She absorbed it- and she became the Bad Wolf. I am the Goddess of Time- and your mother became my host. Your mother took that power and destroyed the Dalek fleet- and saved your Doctor. The power nearly killed her- but he took it from her."

Evy listened, wide eyed as she absorbed the full story of how her mother had saved her father.

"That kind of power never leaves you. A small amount remained- and it changed her. But the majority of that power passed to you- it kept you growing when you were conceived. You are part of me. You were conceived in the TARDIS- and you will have a connection to her. You are more Time Lord than human, Evelyna. You have great gifts."

Then the goddess looked up, as though hearing a call. "Our time is done." She rose.

"Wait!" Evy cried, getting up to follow her. "I don't understand-"

The Bad Wolf turned back. "You will." She looked as though she was considering something. "You will need this. Part of your gifts. It would have come to you soon enough."

"What would have?" Evy asked, confused.

The Goddess smiled. "This." And then she touched one finger to Evy's forehead.

Instantly, there was a blast of voices inside her head- and Evy screamed in pain. She clutched her forehead- before the nauseating white tunnel faded everything into black.

* * *

Evy woke with a start, gasping for breath and covered in sweat. _That was no dream. _

The being that wore her mother's face- what had she done? To her- to her mother?

As she sat there, drawing her knees into her chest slightly, Evy came aware of a new sensation. Not in her regular senses- but a sense of curiosity, a ticklish feeling inside her mind. It didn't hurt, which surprised her; the slight telepathy she'd always had seemed to have increased hundredfold- leaving her mind feeling like raw, sensitive skin.

The ticklish feeling increased to a something like a pushing pressure. Evy grimaced, falling forward onto her knees. She remembered all too well the blast of mental voices that had exploded inside her mind as the Bad Wolf had touched her forehead.

Again, she felt the insistent pressure. _Go away_, Evy thought at it irritably. Surprisingly, it did- replaced by an impression of surprise, and then happiness- before retreating to a distant presence in her head; one of seemingly a thousand whisperers.

Evy closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, as though doing so would make the incessant chatter in her head go away. _Shut up, shut up! _She begged. It was like standing in a crowd of thousands, all talking over one another.

Evy suddenly opened her eyes, an idea occurring to her. You didn't necessarily have to listen to a thousand speakers- anymore than you did background noise. The simplicity of her idea astounded her.

But the voices were building in volume, all clamoring to be heard, seemingly. Evy could feel her hold on sanity start to slip- and she forced herself to ignore everything but her own thoughts.

The other voices didn't want to be pushed away. They resisted. Desperately, Evy searched for a thought to focus on. She cast through dozens of mental pictures- her mother, Martha, the Doctor, the TARDIS- each slipping. Finally, in a last effort, she found a picture. It was the boy from her dream, oddly enough- despite the vagueness of the image, it was captivating enough that Evy was able to force every thought not her own out of her direct consciousness.

At last, the shouting in her head receded to faint whisperings she could barely make out. Gasping a huge, shuddering breath, Evy straightened. She was absolutely drenched in sweat and shaking with mental exhaustion.

Realizing how close she had come to insanity, Evy shuddered convulsively, one hand reaching up to feel her suddenly raw throat.

_What would I have done… nevermind. I can't do this right now. _

Despite her exhaustion, Evy knew well enough from experience that she'd never get back to sleep now. Tossing the damp sheets away, she slid out of the ruined bed and onto the floor. Another shower was probably in order- but why take a shower when she could go swim? There was supposed to be a swimming pool somewhere around here-

_There is._

Evy frowned. That wasn't her thought- but it didn't seem to be like one of the thousands of chatterers either.

_It's me. Don't you know who I am? _

"No," Evy replied, confused, and feeling rather foolish about speaking to empty air.

There was a mental chuckle. _I'm the TARDIS. _

"You're the- never mind. I'll take that as is."

_Very wise. Now go for a swim._

There was a hum, and Evy's swimsuit appeared on the bed, perfectly clean. Evy stared openly for a moment, before shrugging and slipping it on under her pajamas. Taking a moment to grab a towel from the bathroom, she padded off down the corridor in search of the pool.

* * *

The Doctor was frustrated. Both his companions were sleeping, while he was doomed to wait here alone, in the lonely night. He'd tried to work on the console- which seemed to be perpetually falling apart- but thoughts of Evy kept inserting themselves into his focus.

Giving up, he wandered off down the corridor for the library. Maybe a book would help him stop thinking about his latest companion- and the woman she reminded him so much of.

As he walked down the corridor, the faint sound of splashing reached his ears.

_The pool-?_

But both his companions should have been in bed. Curious, the Doctor altered course, heading toward the pool.

* * *

Evy sighed with contentment in water as warm as bathwater. She had left her pajamas in a heap on the pool deck, and now floated on her back in the pool. She sighed with pleasure again, keeping her eyes half lidded. The soft lights set into the ceiling made the water droplets on her eyelashes sparkle with rainbow colors.

It was soothing, and the water had helped relax away almost all the trembling. Rolling over onto her stomach, Evy began to stroke smoothly, lapping the pool.

That was what the Doctor saw as he walked in. Evy, swimming smoothly around the Olympic size pool, slipping through the water so that she barely made a ripple.

He watched her. It didn't occur to him to call out to his companion- he just watched her, fascinated.

Evy continued to swim, unawares. The simple rhythm of stroke and breath was helping a lot with the metal strain. As her lungs began to burn for oxygen again, she resurfaced- to the sight of her father watching her with a sorrowful expression on his face.

Evy's eyes widened, and instead of air, she sucked in water as she inhaled reflexively. As the water instead of air reached her lungs she coughed violently, body trying to reject the foreign substance.

As she coughed, she lost her coordination in the water- sending her flailing to regain it. She floundered- until a strong hand grasped her arm and hauled her out, onto the pool deck.

Evy finished coughing the water out of her lungs before looking up at the Doctor. "Alright?" he asked, looking concerned as she stood before him, still dripping.

Evy nodded. "Yeah."

"No, really."

"I'm _alright_." Evy said, stressing the 'alright'. She shook off the Doctor's hand and walked over to a bench by the wall, where she had left her towel. Quickly, she toweled off, facing away from the Doctor.

_What the hell is he doing here? I thought I would be alone!_

Evy pressed her lips together when the TARDIS's unasked for response came.

_He could hear you. You just had the misfortune to be heard when he was looking for something to do. _

"Oh, shut up." Evy muttered to the TARDIS and she shoved her pj's back on.

"Excuse me?"

"What?" Evy turned around to look at the Doctor- before realizing what she had just said. "Oh, bugger. Not you. The- um- the TARDIS. She keeps responding to my thoughts." And then, deciding she might as well do the thing properly, added- "She won't shut up. Tell me, is it just me, or is she always this chatty?"

The Doctor was now staring at her with a look of disbelief. Evy flushed. "Um-"

"You're telepathic?"

Evy crossed her arms. "Well, I'm not crazy, if that's what you're asking." _ But if you'd been in my room about half an hour ago- _

"How-"

"I don't know." Evy anticipated the Doctor's question and hastened to answer it. "I just woke up about forty five minutes ago and I could hear so much. Only it was inside my head."

"Ah." A pause. Evy could see his mind turning over this entirely new facet of her- and she was familiar with the look that came next. The _you're a fascinating specimen _look. As his mouth opened to ask a question, she hastened to ward off the request she knew was coming.

"I don't do lab tests, if you don't mind," she said politely, but firmly. The Doctor looked indignant.

"Oi! I was only going to ask what you were doing out here!"

Evy blushed. "Oh. Sorry. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a swim."

"I see. Why didn't you ask for anything?"

Evy shrugged. "Didn't think of it. Most sleep aids don't work on me."

"Oh. Because of-"

"Yes."

Uncomfortably, Evy avoided the Doctor's gaze. She'd already said too much tonight; she didn't want to inadvertently reveal more.

The Doctor broke the impasse. "Well, that's easily remedied."

Evy looked up. "Yeah?"

He smiled. "Here, come with me. We'll go to the infirmary and get you something."

Evy nodded her agreement- following him out into the corridor.

* * *

Evy sat in the middle of the TARDIS infirmary- a room of white accented by stainless steel and frosted glass- on the exam couch, watching the Doctor rummage through the cabinets. At last, he emerged from his search with a small bottle in hand.

"Ah! I knew I had these!" Opening the bottle, he shook out two small capsules and passed them to Evy.

Evy looked at the capsules in her hand. "Is that it?"

"That's all you need!" The Doctor said emphatically.

Doubtfully, Evy glanced down at the pills in her hand- before shrugging and popping them into her mouth. The Doctor handed her a cup of water, which she accepted gratefully. Swallowing the pills, Evy finished the water.

"Thanks." She said, handing back the glass.

"You're welcome." The Doctor took back the glass. He wondered if he should ask what he was going to. "Evy- you said that the telepathy just happened tonight. You said that you heard the TARDIS. Do you mind if I-"

"No!" Evy yelled, jumping off the table in an attempt to get as far away from the Doctor as possible.

"Alright, Evy." The Doctor said, surprised at the intensity of Evy's reaction. "I won't If you don't-"

"You can't! I can't-"

"Can't what?" The Doctor asked.

He sensed that she was on the knife edge of something. A breaking point, a decision. The frightened deer look was back- along with a slight trembling that meant she was close to fleeing.

"Evy-" He said cautiously. She blinked. "If you don't want me to, I won't. I promise. You trust me, right?"

Slowly, infinitesimally slowly, she nodded- before relaxing equally slowly.

"Sorry." She apologized, looking at the floor in embarrassment. "It's just- I always run. I can't help it."

"It's alright." The Doctor said comfortingly. "Those pills kicking in now?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah," Evy said, yawning. "Thanks."

He smiled at her. "Go to bed. Tomorrow's another day."

"Another adventure, you mean," Evy said, stifling another yawn, before walking over to the door. She paused as she opened it . "Night, Doctor."

"Good night, Evy."

He smiled at her until she was gone- but as the door clicked shut behind her, he frowned. First the time-sensitivity, and now the telepathy? Evy was an enormous puzzle- and her reticence only added to it. She claimed never to have known her father's species- but how did she have such gifts and so much knowledge from a common space traveler?


End file.
